Romano: Arsenal & Tottenham in talks with agent as duo battle to sign £21m star

Arsenal and Tottenham are in talks with Houssem Aouar’s agent as the North London duo eye a move to sign the Lyon playmaker this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Aouar has been with Lyon his entire professional career after coming through their youth ranks and has become an important first team player since establishing himself as a regular during the 2017/18 campaign.

The 23-year-old has gone on to make over 170 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit and also made his debut for the senior French team last year but his future at the Groupama Stadium is in serious doubt.

Lyon need to balance the books this summer due to financial issues and it’s led to speculation that Aouar will be sacrificed as he’s seen as one of the most sellable assets in the squad.

Arsenal have been long-term admirers of the playmaker and have seemingly renewed their interest this year after failing to reach an agreement with Lyon over a potential deal last summer.

The Athletic reported last week that Arsenal have approached Lyon to discuss the possibility of signing Aouar on an initial loan but the French side would prefer to sell with £21m [€25m] seen as an acceptable price-tag.

Mikel Arteta is in the market for a creative midfielder and Aouar is seen as an alternative to Martin Odegaard – who’s future remains uncertain at Real Madrid after being left out of their opening weekend win at Alaves.

Fabrizio Romano has now claimed that Arsenal are in talks with Aouar’s agent over a possible move to the Emirates Stadium but the Gunners face competition as the Guardian reporter says Tottenham are also in discussions with the players representatives.

Speaking to the Arsenal Lounge, Romano said:

“Aouar is a player they [Arsenal] love. They are still waiting to see what happens with Lyon.”

“He [Aouar] could still be an opportunity for Arsenal and Tottenham, they are both in contact with his agent,”

“So they are still looking at the situation and if Lyon will give the green light in the coming days, he could become an option for Arsenal too.”

New Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo is looking to strengthen his squad before the end of the month and it appears the Portuguese coach is ready to do-battle with Arsenal to sign Aouar if he does leave Lyon this summer.

The reported £21m valuation would represent a bargain for a player of his quality so it would be an excellent piece of business if either of the north London duo was able to win the race for his signature.