It appears Arsenal have shifted their interest from Thomas Lemar to Real Madrid youngster Marco Asensio, according to reports in the Sun.
The Gunners have been linked with Lemar for a greater part of the summer transfer window but a deal has failed to materialize even though the player seems interested in moving to north London.
It has been revealed that Monaco are willing to do business only if the north London club are willing to break their transfer record for the second time this summer and pay £55 million for the 21-year-old.
Arsenal, of course, don’t value the star that much and have now turned to Real Madrid Asensio. According to reports, the Emirates club are ready to make ‘incredible’ offer for the 21-year-old Spaniard with Manchester United also said to be interested.
Asensio was signed by Real in 2014. He spent the 2015/2016 season with Espanyol where he scored 4 goals and provided 12 assists. He returned to the Santiago Bernabeu last season and contributed 10 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions including the 4-1 defeat of Juventus in the UEFA Champions League final in Cardiff.
With the widely reported move by PSG to sign Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal will likely try to find a replacement for the Chilean and Asensio seems like a qualified candidate for the position. However, it will be very surprising if Madrid will want to sell their prized asset.
If Arsenal succeed in luring Asensio to the Emirates, he will be the third summer signing after the capture of Sead Kolasinac and Alexandre Lacazette. Arsenal manager, Wenger has revealed that the Gunners will still be active in the transfer window. As much as they will try to sign new players and hold on to important squad figures, they will also attempt to sell some fringe players.
