Report: Liverpool & Man Utd ready to hijack Arsenal’s bid to sign £19m attacker

Liverpool and Manchester United have joined the chase to sign Houssem Aouar and could hijack Arsenal’s bid to land the Lyon attacking midfielder this summer, according to LE10 Sport.

Aouar has been with Lyon his entire professional career after coming through their youth ranks and he’s been a key player for them in recent seasons having contributed 32 goals and 31 assists in his 170 appearances.

However, the Ligue 1 club are in financial difficulty so Lyon have decided it’s time to cash in on Aouar and it’s led to speculation linking the attacking midfielder with a move to the Premier League.

Arsenal were the early front-runners for his signature with Le10 Sport claiming the Gunners have tabled an offer worth no more than £17m [€20m] – which is short of Lyon’s desired £21.3m [€25m] asking price.

Mikel Arteta is in the market for a new No.10 to replace Martin Odegaard after he returned to Real Madrid following a loan spell and it seems the Arsenal boss has identified Aouar as the man to fill his boots.

However, it looks like the Gunners will face stiff competition as not only are Tottenham eyeing Aouar, but Le10 Sport reports today that Liverpool and Manchester United have also joined the chase for his signature.

The French publication suggests that the London duo are showing the most serious interest as they’re locked in negotiations with Lyon and the players representatives trying to get a move agreed, but Liverpool and United could be about to hijack their plans.

Jurgen Klopp is on the look out for a new midfielder to replace Gini Wijnaldum after he joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer this summer and Liverpool have long been linked with a move for Aouar.

Man Utd are also being linked with midfielders this summer as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to strengthen his squad. Paul Pogba’s future is uncertain as he has just one year left on his contract while Nemanja Matic turns 33 next month so United are eyeing new talent and Aouar is seemingly on Solskjaer’s radar.

ESPN are also reporting that Liverpool and United have joined Arsenal in the race to sign the French international so it looks like a battle could ensue between several of England’s biggest clubs.

Le10 Sport suggests that Lyon will do business somewhere between £17m and £21m. If we take the middle valuation, £19m is an excellent price for a player of Aouar’s quality so it’s no surprise the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd are showing a keen interest in signing him this summer.