Paris Saint-Germain star Desire Doue has fired a transfer reminder to Arsenal following links last summer, as he starred in the Champions League final against Inter Milan. Former England captain Steven Gerrard raved over the 19-year-old and pointed towards regret for the likes of the Gunners and Manchester United, who were said to be in the hunt for the attacker.
Doue was instrumental in a dominant first-half for the Parisians after they raced into a two-goal lead in the European showpiece with a goal and an assist in the first-half. The former Rennes attacker showed his quality with a superb disguise pass to put the opener on a plate for Achraf Hakimi.
The winger then peeled towards the backpost and saw his volley deflect past Yann Sommer to double their lead on 20 minutes - firing Luis Enrique's side to the cusp of another major honour for the tactician and a first Champions League crown for the French giants.
Gerrard couldn't hide his admiration for Doue pre-match as he tipped the attacker to be at the pinnacle of world football for, at least, another decade.
"He must have the mindset," the 44-year-old said pre-match.
"To make the move for €50million at such a short age, how many players have we seen that go to their head and they fall away?
"This lad looks hungry and the real deal.
"He looks confident, I'm watching him warm-up and it looks like he's playing in the back garden.
"I can't wait to watch him for the next 10 years."
The Mirror reported earlier this year, following Doue's heroics against Liverpool, that Arsenal were among the three Premier League clubs to register an interest in the attacker.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were among them however, the battle eventually narrowed down to PSG and Bayern Munich with the former winning the race for his signature.
And he has proved his worth to the Paris club after contributing with key moments throughout their rush through the knockout phase as they come of age at the business end of the campaign.
Doue was introduced to replace Kylian Mbappe as his high-profile transfer saga eventually concluded with a move to Real Madrid.
After following in his footsteps, he was forced to deal with comparisons to his France teammate but he was quick to shirk those.
"I’ve been told about the comparisons, but I’m Desire Doue, Kylian is Kylian.
"He’s a sensational player and has already done a lot in football.
"I’m trying to create my own path."
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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