Arsenal are keeping tabs on the situation of Newcastle United striker Michael Owen at St James' Park.
And Arsene Wenger, fearing he may lose Thierry Henry to Spain in the next couple of months, will keep a close eye on the United striker when he plays for the England B side against Albania at Burnley on Friday night.
The Chronicle can reveal that when Arsenal were at St James' Park on Easter Monday, Wenger asked United if they intended to play both Owen and Oba Martins together as a double spearhead next season - and if not could he take the one who was being left out.
Of course, since then Wenger's own future at the Emirates Stadium has been shrouded in uncertainty following the departure of his big pal vice-chairman David Dein.
Earlier this season Wenger waxed lyrical about Martins in the Arsenal match-day programme when United were in North London in November.
But he will have noticed that Martins only scored in one of United's last 10 Premiership games - and he would have been appalled at the Nigerian striker going AWOL at Watford.
And Martins will be missing again for around a month at the turn of the year when he represents his country in the African Nations Cup.
This leaves Owen - and the idea of the England striker in an Arsenal shirt is sure to appeal to some Gunners fans.
But whether or not Arsenal follow up their interest in Owen could depends on two things - his £5m a year wages and the fact he has played so little football lately.
These are two of the reasons why Manchester United are not getting too excited about taking him to Old Trafford. Indeed, such a move may have more appeal to the Owen camp than the other way round.
And a return to Liverpool, even in a package involving Peter Crouch and Craig Bellamy coming the other way, can be ruled out.
I am told that Liverpool's new owner George Gillett is a big pal and admirer of Owen as he has some involvement with Dr David Steadman's world-famous clinic in Colorado where the little striker had an operation on his knee last summer.
But I am also told Gillett will not go against his manager and that Rafael Benitez does not want Owen back at Anfield.
All this will be going through the minds of Owen and Sam Allardyce when the pair of them talk in the next week.
But frankly it is all a bit of a mess at the moment, and the sooner the issue of Owen's future is resolved one way or another, the better it will be for Newcastle United.
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