Arsenal have made contact to enquire about a potential deal for Lucas Paqueta with Lyon valuing the midfielder at around £55m, according to reports.
The Gunners are on the search for a new midfielder this summer. Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans has been regularly linked, but Arsenal could be looking at other alternatives.
Paqueta could be one of those, and CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs claims that Arsenal have enquired about a potential deal for the Brazilian. Jacobs suggests that Lyon will sell for around £55m but Arsenal face competition from Newcastle United.
Media Foot also claim that Arsenal are leading the race to sign Paqueta this summer. Manager Mikel Arteta is said to be pushing the club’s pursuit of his services.
The French outlet add that Paqueta ‘wants to leave’ Lyon. Arsenal have an ‘excellent’ relationship with the Ligue 1 club, but they won’t let the midfielder go unless their valuation is met.
Paqueta would be a superb signing for Arsenal
Paqueta had a good 2021/22 season with Lyon where he operated from four positions including the centre-forward role. He bagged 11 goals and seven assists from 44 outings.
The 24-year-old largely played from the number 10 position last term, but he is also comfortable operating as a central midfielder with his strong tackling and dribbling abilities. The South American can also play from the wing if needed.
Hence, he would be a quality acquisition for Arsenal. manager Mikel Arteta may want a creative presence in the centre of the park, and Paqueta would provide that option for him.
It could be at the expense of Granit Xhaka dropping to the bench, considering Arteta is unlikely to field two left-footed midfielders together unless Thomas Partey is unavailable.
Arsenal are currently leading the hunt for his signature, but a deal may not be straightforward, considering Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has played hardball over talks in the past.
The Gunners were priced out of a move for Houssem Aouar few years ago and hopefully, there is no such transfer saga again. Arsenal need to sign Paqueta at the earliest possibility.
They would not want to enter into another prolonged round of negotiations with Lyon, only to end up missing out on his services before the summer transfer deadline in September.
