Arsenal’s main target is £67m-rated Lyon star Lucas Paqueta

Arsenal’s main transfer target is Lucas Paqueta and Edu is prepared to wait until the winter window to land the Lyon midfielder, according to transfer expert Sacha Tavolieri.

Mikel Arteta has been busy strengthening his squad this summer with five new recruits secured following the arrivals of Matt Turner, Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus.

However, the Gunners boss has suggested he would still like to do more business before the window closes on September 1st, with a central midfielder and winger reportedly on his agenda.

Youri Tielemans has been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer with many media outlets suggesting that the Leicester City star is Arsenal’s main midfield transfer target.

However, journalist Sacha Tavolieri claims that it is in fact Paqueta, not Tielemans, who is Edu’s priority target in midfield and he suggests that Arsenal may be prepared to wait until the winter to get their man.

Writing on Twitter, Tavolieri said:

“My feeling is that Arsenal will wait (until) the winter for trying to get Lucas Paqueta (who’s the real priority of Edu Gaspar in the midfield) as there is no real need at this position for the moment. So Youri is interesting for #AFC, but not priority.”

Paqueta has also been linked with a move to the Emirates throughout the summer window with Goal reporting last month that Arsenal have held talks with the South American’s agents about a potential move.

Big price tag

The report added that Arsenal informed Paqueta’s representatives of their intent to put forward a proposal but Lyon are demanding a whopping £67m [€80m] for the Brazilian attacker this summer.

This hefty price-tag may explain why Arsenal are prepared to wait until January as they may feel Lyon will be more inclined to reduce their asking price in the winter window.

Paqueta has predominantly played in the No.10 role during his career and provided 11 goals and 7 assists in his 43 appearances for Lyon last season.

The 24-year-old is comfortable playing in a variety of roles, as he’s able to play as a box-to-box midfielder, attacking midfielder or even out on the wing if needed. This versatility will appeal to Arteta, as the Spanish coach has shown a tendency to sign players who can play in a number of positions.

READ: Update on Arsenal’s pursuit of £34m star

We’ll have to wait and see whether Arsenal decide to formalise their interest in Paqueta this month or wait until January, but the Brazilian would be another excellent addition to their squad if they could get a deal done.