Arsenal, Manchester City and Juventus interested in Houssem Aouar

Arsenal, Manchester City and Juventus are interested in signing Houssem Aouar, according to L’Equipe via Get French Football News. 

Aouar is a graduate of the Lyon academy and made his debut for the club in 2017. He has scored 24 goals and provided 24 assists in 134 appearances for the club. This season, he scored nine goals and provided seven assists in 38 appearances across all competitions. He will take part in Lyon’s round of 16 second leg against Juventus later today with the French club leading 1-0.

The 22 year old is one of the most exciting young midfielders in Europe. Pep Guardiola is known to be a keen admirer of the player but City have just completed a deal to sign Ferran Torres from Valencia. This doesn’t rule the Citizens out of the race for Aouar’s signature but it does make a move to the Etihad seem unlikely for the Frenchman. 

Lyon expect to receive £54 million for Aouar but that may prove to be a difficult task for them due to the financial consequences of the pandemic. The clubs that are interested in signing the player will wait until the end of the Champions League before establishing contact with him and his club. 

The Gunners plan on rebuilding their midfield and Aouar would be a fantastic addition in the middle of the park. The Premier League giants are looking to sell Matteo Guendouzi this summer and are ready to listen to offers for Lucas Torreira. In addition to Aouar, they are interested in extending Dani Ceballos’ loan and signing Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey. 

Jean-Michel Aulas, the President and owner of Lyon, would be open to retaining the 22 year old if the right offers were not received but is known to be keen on selling the player this summer.