Houssem Aouar has confirmed transfer talks are taking place as Arsenal prepare to test Lyon’s resolve with an improved £45.5m offer for the midfielder, according to reports.
Mikel Arteta wants to overhaul his midfield options before the transfer window closes on October 5th and Aouar has been touted as Arsenal’s prime target along with with Atletico Madrid star Thomas Partey.
Lyon director Juninho confirmed earlier this month that talks have been held with Arsenal counterpart Edu about a potential deal for Aouar and ESPN claimed recently that an opening £32m offer had been rejected.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas took to Twitter over the weekend to confirm they had rejected an offer from Arsenal for the 22-year-old but it doesn’t look like the Gunners are ready to give up just yet.
According to Football London, Arsenal are ready to table an improved offer worth £36.5m up front with a further £9m in add-ons making the entire deal worth £45.5m – which is a lot closer to Lyon’s £54m asking price.
It remains to be seen whether the French outfit will accept Arsenal’s offer once it’s been officially presented but Aouar has now confirmed transfer talks have been held about a possible move this summer – although he was reluctant to give too much away.
Speaking following Lyon’s 1-1 draw with Lorient on Sunday, Aouar was quizzed about reported interest from Arsenal and whether he wants a move to the Emirates this summer.
He is quoted by the Express as telling Canal+:
“I will give you an interview after the match but I will not talk about my future”
“There are contacts with clubs. I don’t know yet. We’ll see what happens in the future.”
French outlet Telefoot La Chaine claimed late last week that Aouar has agreed to join Arsenal and is now waiting for the two clubs to settle on a fee but it remains to be seen whether there will be an agreement over the coming week.
Arsenal need to offload some players to help fund their move for Aouar with Lucas Torreira expected to leave while the likes of Matteo Guendouzi, Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis and Sead Kolasinac are also available for transfer.
Aouar would be an exciting addition to Arteta’s squad if Arsenal can get a deal done and he’d provide some added creativity having contributed 9 goals and 10 assists in all competitions for Lyon last season.
