Arsenal are ready to submit an improved offer for Houssem Aouar and have already agreed personal terms with the £54m-rated Lyon midfielder, according to reports via TeamTalk.
Mikel Arteta is desperately trying to strengthen his midfield before the transfer window closes on October 5th and Aouar has been touted as his prime target along with Atletico Madrid star Thomas Partey.
Arsenal director Edu has been holding talks with Lyon chief Juninho over a potential deal for Aouar but RMC Sport claimed earlier this month that the Gunners saw their opening offer knocked back by the Ligue 1 outfit.
The French outlet reported that Arsenal had offered £31.4m plus Matteo Guendouzi in exchange for the 22-year-old but Lyon rejected the bid on the basis they aren’t interested in signing Guendouzi this summer.
However, it appears Arsenal aren’t ready to give up just yet as TeamTalk cite a report from Le10 Sport that claims the Gunners are set to table an improved offer for the French U21 international.
TeamTalk says Lyon’s asking price is around £54m [€60m] but Arsenal are hoping to strike a deal below that valuation due to the Ligue 1 clubs need to offload players to help balance their books after missing out on European qualification.
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal’s improved offer will satisfy Lyon but Italian journalist Nicolo Schira claims the north Londoners have already agreed personal terms with Aouar over a five-year contract.
Therefore, all that remains is for a fee to be agreed between the two clubs and Aouar should become Arsenal’s seventh signing of the summer following the arrivals of Willian, Gabriel, Dani Ceballos [loan], Alex Runarsson, Cedric Soares and Pabli Mari [both permanent deals].
Aouar would be a hugely exciting signing for the Gunners as he’s developed into one of the best young talents in French football and he played a key role in Lyon’s march to the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.
The midfield playmaker scored 9 goals and provided a further 10 assists in all competitions last year so he’d certainly offer some much-needed creativity for Arsenal in the middle of the park if a deal can be agreed.
