Arteta and Arsenal board ‘in love with Aouar’ and will try to sign him

Arsenal will definitely try to sign Aouar this summer as Arteta and the Arsenal board are in love with him, according to Fabrizio Romano in an interview with Lee Gunner.

Lyon want to sell Houssem Aouar for between £54 and £63 million this summer. Due to the financial implications of the pandemic, clubs that are interested in the player will find it difficult to pay the required fee for his signature and the French club are aware of this. 

In addition to the Gunners, there are a host of clubs that will try to sign the Frenchman. Arsenal are struggling to trigger Thomas Partey’s £45 million buyout clause and so will find it even more challenging to pull off this deal. 

Juventus, Arsenal, Manchester City and PSG have been linked with him. Arsenal are the only club to have made a bid for the player. They offered Guendouzi in addition to some cash for Aouar. Lyon have not responded to that offer as of yet but Edu Gaspar, the North London club’s technical director, is expected to hold further talks with Juninho, Lyon’s sporting director, in the coming weeks.

The 22 year old was a shining light in a Lyon team that reached the semi final of the Champions League. Aouar scored nine goals and provided ten assists in 41 appearances across all competitions for the French club last season. He is a Lyon academy graduate and made his debut for the senior side in 2017. He has scored 24 goals and provided 27 assists in 137 games for the club. 

The player’s agent has said that he is in no rush to make a decision on his future after the long season he has had. He will wait to see which clubs make suitable offers for him and make a decision in September.