Arsenal are still very keen to sign Lyon star Houssem Aouar but have been told that they’ll need to come up with a strong financial offer for the Frenchman as Lyon are not interested in any type of player-plus-cash deal.
As reported in the Daily Mail, Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal board are keen to bring the 22-year-old to The Emirates but they had hoped to reduce the outlay needed to get him by sending midfielder Matteo Guendouzi to Lyon.
However, The Gunners have been told that such a deal doesn’t appeal to Lyon, so they will have to find somewhere in the region of £55m in order to get the man they want.
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It’s easy for fans to say “just pay the fee” for Aouar and he would obviously be a great addition to Arsenal, but the club needs to balance the books and if the £55m isn’t there, then that simply isn’t a viable option.
If Lyon aren’t interested in a player-plus-cash deal, then Arsenal might need to make a few sales in order to raise the funds needed to get Aouar to the club.
The likes of Guendouzi, Saed Kolasinac, Rob Holding and Calum Chambers are all potential options to leave and if the Gunners have the chance to move some of those players on and get Aouar in return, then that’s a win-win situation for Arteta.
