The Germany international has a huge release clause in his contract and Schalke officials have been stern in their statements that the attacking midfielder will not leave Gelsenkirchen today.
As such, the North London outfit are believed to be weighing up other options, with The Daily Mail stating that a Barcelona starlet is on the agenda.
The British tabloid state that Arsenal have made a loan approach for Camp Nou starlet Cristian Tello, who has been on the outskirts of the Blaugrana first team this term.
Arsene Wenger was recently spotted at a Barcelona game in which Tello scored a hat-trick against Levante in the Copa del Rey, which may well have caught the Frenchman’s eye.
It is believed that the Gunners have made an approach to take the 22-year-old on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
Tello has only started two La Liga games this term, making 11 more appearances from the bench, but is yet to score in the league.
Written by Steve Milne