[Photo] Player spotted in London after Arsenal see opening £6.2m offer rejected

Managers are working hard trying to strengthen their squads during the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Arsenal make their move for Alexis Claude-Maurice….

Alexis Claude-Maurice was spotted with Matteo Guendouzi in London on Friday after Arsenal tabled an opening £6.2m offer to Lorient for his signature, according to reports in France via The Sun.

Claude-Maurice knows Guendouzi from their time playing together at Lorient before the bushy-haired midfielder joined Arsenal last summer and it seems the former team mates have been catching up in the capital this weekend.

However, the duo could be reunited on a more permanent basis as The Sun are citing French journalist Mohamed Toubache-TER as claiming that Arsenal have now formalised their interest in the attacker with a £6.2m [€7m] offer.

The newspaper says Toubache-TER was the man who broke the news that Guendouzi had joined Arsenal last summer and he suggests we will have to pay closer to £9m in order to get a deal agreed for Claude-Maurice this time around.

Get French Football News are also carrying the same story and they claim that Arsenal are expected to submit an improved offer imminently as we look to fend off rival interest from the likes of Lille and Monaco.

The report says Claude-Maurice is desperate to secure a move to Arsenal and is keen to link-up with his friend Guendouzi in north London so a transfer should be wrapped-up relatively quickly if we can strike a deal with Lorient.

The 20-year-old progressed through the youth ranks at the Ligue 2 side to become a key first team player having contributed 14 goals and 4 assists in 35 games this season and he’s also represented France at Under-20 level.

Claude-Maurice is comfortable playing out on either wing or through the middle as an attacking midfielder so he’d give Unai Emery another versatile option in the final third if he does end up moving to the Emirates.

READ MORE–> Arsenal transfer news

We badly need to add some pace and width to our attack this summer and while many fans will demand marquee names, Emery simply doesn’t have the budget required to sign ready-made world class players so we’re going to have to be more creative with our targets.

Claude-Maurice is a talented youngster who will be available at a reasonable price and the club will hope he can develop into a top class player at Arsenal so it could turn out to be a shrewd piece of business if we can get a deal tied up.