Arsenal are in talks with Lyon over a potential deal to sign Houssem Aouar and are offering Matteo Guendouzi in exchange for the £45m-rated midfielder, according to ESPN.
Aouar joined the Lyon youth ranks in 2009 and has developed into one of the most exciting young midfielders in French football since breaking into the first team set-back in 2017 with the youngster making 137 appearances to far.
The 22-year-old was a key player for Lyon last season as he contributed 9 goals and a further 10 assists in his 41 appearances and he’s been tipped to become a senior international with France having represented his country at U21 level.
Aouar’s potential has caught the eye of clubs throughout Europe as ESPN claims that Arsenal and Manchester City have both approached Lyon to discuss the playmaker’s availability in recent weeks while Juventus and PSG are also keen admirers.
However, it’s the Gunners who appear to have the most serious interest as the report says Arsenal’s sporting director, Edu, has held talks with Lyon counterpart, Juninho, and proposed a potential swap deal involving Aouar and Guendouzi plus cash.
ESPN claims that no specific fee was discussed between the two men but Lyon value Aouar at around £45m [€50m] and further negotiations are expected to take place over the coming days as Arsenal look to pull off what would be a major coup.
This news is supported by L’Equipe as Football London cite the newspaper version of the French outlet as also reporting that Arsenal have offered Guendouzi in exchange for Aouar after Mikel Arteta identified him as a key target.
The Gunners boss is looking to revamp his squad after Arsenal finished eighth last season and he’s already snapped-up Willian on a free transfer while centre-back Gabriel is being strongly linked but midfield is also an area of concern.
Guendouzi is set to leave after falling out with Arteta last season, Lucas Torreira is being linked with a move back to Italy while Arsenal are yet to agree a deal to re-sign Dani Ceballos from Real Madrid so the Londoners need reinforcements in the middle of the park.
Aouar would be an excellent addition if Arsenal could get a deal agreed and he proved he’s ready to compete at the highest level after impressing in the Champions League against the likes of Juventus, Man City and Bayern Munich.
Obviously Arsenal face stiff competition for his signature but the fact that Edu knows Juninho well having played together for Brazil could sway things in their favour as the race to sign Aouar this summer hots-up.
