New, cut-price deal on cards as summer bid from Arsenal uncovered
Arsenal reportedly made Lyon an offer for midfielder Houssem Aouar last summer after his impressive form for the Ligue 1 side.
Aouar scored nine goals and claimed 10 assists last season, helping Lyon into the Champions League semi-finals. The interest in the French midfielder was high with “some strong interest” from a number of sides in Europe. And the Gunners were one of those teams and made an attempt to sign the 22-year-old. That is according to L’Equipe via Sport Witness. However, the Coronavirus pandemic scuppered any chances of a deal going through.
Juventus and PSG were also monitoring the player, but only Arsenal made a firm offer.
Just how much Arsenal put on the table is unclear. But after spending €50m on Thomas Partey later in the summer, it’s probably reasonable to suggest a similar fee.
Aouar ended up staying, and Mikel Arteta instead decided to splash out on a holding midfielder in Partey, rather than a creative talent.
Just why the talented Aouar never moved on is unclear. The Ligue 1 side had expected the one-cap France man to move and even bought Lucas Paqueta to replace him.
Asked in October if he was disappointed that he didn’t seal a summer exit, Aouar replied: “I’m the opposite. I am at home, in the club that I love, with my friends and my family.
“So certainly I have all my bearings and it is giving me even more motivation to have a good season. I want to bring the club back to the top places in Ligue 1.”
Whether or not Arsenal will make another move for Aouar is up for debate.
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Cut-price deal possible
A report from Defensa Central claimed that Arteta wanted both Isco from Real Madrid and Aouar in January, however they claim the club can only afford one.
Neither arrived to swell Arsenal’s squad, instead Martin Odegaard signed on loan from the Bernabeu.
The French outlet suggest Lyon are publicly against a summer sale, but they know the summer window is the last one in which they can get a “good price” for him.
Aouar will have just two years left on his contract this summer and an offer of €30m would “not be such a bad deal”, as per the source.
However, the player’s form has not been as impressive this season. He picked up ad adductor problem last month and has not started a game since the end of March,
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