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A tentative $\sim$1000 km s$^{-1}$ offset between the [CII] 158 $μ$m and Ly$α$ line emission in a star-forming galaxy at $z = 7.2$

GN-108036 is a star-forming galaxy at $z=7.21$, and one of the most distant known sources in the Northern hemisphere. Based on observations from the NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA), here we report the tentative detection of the [CII] line at $\approx4σ$ significance. The integrated [CII] line emission is spatially offset about $\sim4$ kpc from the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) emission. The total [CII] luminosity ($L_{\rm [CII]}=2.7\times10^8~L_{\odot}$) is consistent with the relation between [CII] luminosity and star formation rate (SFR) observed in nearby and high-$z$ star forming galaxies. More interestingly, the [CII] line is blueshifted with respect to the Ly$α$ line by $980\pm10$ km s$^{-1}$. If confirmed, this corresponds to the largest velocity offset reported to date between the Ly$α$ line and a non-resonant line at $z\gtrsim6$. According to trends observed in other high redshift galaxies, the large Ly$α$ velocity offset in GN-108036 is consistent with its low Ly$α$ equivalent width and high UV absolute magnitude. Based on Ly$α$ radiative transfer models of expanding shells, the large Ly$α$ velocity offset in GN-108036 could be interpreted as the presence of a large column density of hydrogen gas, and/or an outflow with a velocity of $v_{\rm out}\simΔv_{\rm Ly α}/2\sim500$ km s$^{-1}$. We also report the 3$σ$ detection of a potential galaxy companion located $\sim30$ kpc east of GN-108036, at a similar systemic velocity, and with no counterpart rest-frame UV emission.