Arsenal are prepared to lodge a third bid for Monaco’s Thomas Lemar after their initial offers of £30m and £40m were turned down by the Principality outfit.
The Gunners have already shown the spending potential in the transfer market after having acquired the services of Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon for a club-record sum of £52.7m.
And it appears that Arsene Wenger is prepared to break the £50m barrier once again with a renewed attempt to sign Lemar, who is regarded as one of the finest talents in the French Ligue 1.
According to The Mail, the FA Cup holders will table an offer of around £45m for the attacker which would rise to above £50m with add-ons.
The 21-year-old has made a huge impression since his shift to the left-wing role, and his tally of nine goals and 10 assists guided Monaco to their first-ever league triumph since 2000.
Presently, the Gunners appear to hold the advantage in the player’s pursuit with no clubs in the horizon, but Monaco are still reluctant to come down from their asking price which stands at £80m.
Meanwhile, Wenger could be looking at Lemar as a straight replacement for Alexis Sanchez, who the Gunners could sell for £80m this summer.
The Gunners have placed his emphasis on adding more options in the forward ranks, and this has seen Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez linked with a Emirates move, although his £50m valuation has put them off.
Lemar has also cemented himself as a regular with Didier Deschamps’ side, and a push to a bigger club would encourage his prospects of sealing a berth in the World Cup squad.
