Arsenal
Exciting £25m star wants Arsenal move as Gunners eye £100k-a-week offer
Lyon playmaker Houssem Aouar is still waiting for a move to Arsenal this summer despite the Gunners pushing ahead with their pursuit of James Maddison
Lyon playmaker Houssem Aouar is still waiting for a move to Arsenal this summer despite the Gunners pushing ahead with their pursuit of Leicester City’s James Maddison, according to The Sun.
Mikel Arteta is in the market for a new attacking midfielder as Martin Odegaard has returned to Real Madrid following a loan spell at the Emirates Stadium during the second half of last season.
Arsenal are open to re-signing the Norwegian international but Odegaard looks increasingly likely to stay at the Bernabeu so Arteta is on the look out for alternatives and Aouar has been touted as a target.
Reports in early July suggested that Arsenal were making a serious play to sign the exciting 23-year-old playmaker with Le10 Sport claiming the North Londoners had seen an opening offer rejected by Lyon.
The Speculation surrounding Aouar then went cold as Arsenal turned their attention to Maddison and football.london reported this week that the Gunners have now made the Leicester City star their primary target.
The news outlet says Arsenal have put forward a player plus cash swap deal in exchange for Maddison but Leicester City are believed to be holding out for £60m for the talented 24-year-old.
It remains to be seen whether a deal will be agreed between the two rival Premier League clubs this summer but The Sun says Aouar’s camp have been left ‘stunned’ by Arsenal’s pursuit of Maddison.
According to the newspaper, Aouar is still holding out for a move to the Emirates Stadium with the player and his representatives hoping Arsenal’s move for Maddison collapses.
The French international would be a much cheaper option as The Sun says Aouar is available for around £25m due to the fact he has two years left on his contract and cash-strapped Lyon need to offload players to raise money.
The report says Arsenal are preparing a £100,000-a-week offer if they renew their interest in Aouar and the playmaker is keen to make a move to England this summer, so there is still a chance this deal could happen later in the summer.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop but it appears Arsenal are focussing their efforts on signing Maddison for now but may go back for Aouar if they fail to agree terms with Leicester City.
