Mikel Arteta has held talks with Houssem Aouar over the phone as Arsenal get ready to test Lyon’s resolve with an improved offer for the midfielder, according to reports via the Express.
Arteta has identified the French international as one of his prime transfer targets as the Arsenal boss looks to overhaul his midfield before the summer transfer window shuts on October 5th.
The Gunners have been locked in negotiations with Lyon for a number of weeks trying to thrash out a deal and saw an opening £32m bid rejected by the Ligue 1 outfit [source: Express].
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas insists Arsenal will have to increase their offer if they want to land Aouar and ESPN claims the North Londoners are ready to submit an improved bid.
The report says that while Lyon have been demanding around £55m for the 22-year-old’s signature they will accept an offer from Arsenal worth £41m plus bonuses to get a deal done.
Lyon are already preparing for Aouar’s departure having agreed a deal to sign Lucas Paqueta from AC Milan and ESPN says Arsenal are confident of getting an agreement in place for Aouar before the window closes.
It looks like the Gunners are pulling out all the stops as the Express are citing RMC Sport as claiming on their radio show that Arteta has now held personal talks with Aouar over the telephone.
The Frenchman would be an excellent signing for Arsenal if they could get this proposed deal over the line as he’s developed into one of the most exciting players in Ligue 1 over the past few years.
Aouar contributed 9 goals and a further 10 assists in all competitions for Lyon last season to help them reach the semi-finals of the Champions League so he’d provide some much-needed creativity in the Arsenal midfield.
In order to make room for Aouar’s arrival, Arsenal will need to offload some players and the likes of Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi, Sead Kolasinac and Sokratis are all available for transfer this summer.
