Aouar tells Lyon staff he is staying, Arsenal will try to sign Jorginho
|Houssem Aouar has told Lyon staff that he is staying at the club after a meeting with the top brass of the French side, according to Mohamed Bouhafsi of French media outlet RMC Sport.
Arsenal submitted three offers for the player but their latest bid of around £34.4 million was rejected by Lyon just like their previous two proposals to sign the French midfielder. Lyon wanted £45.5 million for the 22 year old but the Gunners did not stump up the funds required to get a deal over the line. Juventus and PSG were also believed to be interested in signing Aouar but he will remain a Lyon player for another season.
The North London side needed to sell a number of their fringe players to be able to afford a player like Aouar but have been unable to do so. They will now try to sign Jorginho from Chelsea, according to Julien Laurens of ESPN.
The Gunners want to rebuild their midfield and will expect to be active in the transfer market for the next two days to provide Mikel Arteta with the options required in the midfield department.
Thomas Partey remains an Arsenal target and the club are still in talks with Atletico about a deal. The Gunners are unwilling to meet the Ghanaian midfielder’s £45 million buyout clause but there is still belief within the club that a deal could happen, according to Mark-Mann Bryans of the Press Association.
Aouar has been included in Lyon’s squad for their upcoming league tie against Marseille and unfortunately looks increasingly unlikely to join Arsenal this summer. The last few days of the transfer window are usually very chaotic and things that seemed unimaginable have happened so never say never.
Jorginho would be the worst signing ever. His nickname is “The Tortoise”