Arsenal have reportedly given up on their pursuit of Thomas Lemar with AS Monaco reluctant to offload the attacker at any cost. The Principality outfit are expected to keep the 21-year-old regardless of the situation of Kylian Mbappe.
According to The Mail, the Gunners are prepared to stick with their current squad after Monaco snubbed their third and final approach for the France international.
The north London club had failed with two bids worth £30m and £40m for the former Caen man, and their third offer worth £50m also came to no avail.
Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Benjamin Mendy are some of the key players, who have made the switch to Arsenal’s Premier League rivals this term, but Monaco have insisted that Lemar will not take a similar route.
Mbappe is apparently on the cusp of leaving Monaco for one of Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid this summer, but this is unlikely to have any influence on the future of Lemar.
Earlier, Monaco vice president Vadim Vasilyev confirmed that both Lemar and Fabinho would be staying at Stade Louis II, and this appears the case as the transfer window approaches its final weeks.
As per The Mail, there will not be any more incomings before the August 31 deadline with the emphasis on offloading some of the fringe players in the squad.
Kieran Gibbs, Calum Chambers, Carl Jenkinson, Lucas Perez and Mathieu Debuchy are among those who are expected to leave the Emirates, although there are no offers within the Gunners’ valuation.
Injury-plagued midfielder Jack Wilshere has also been linked with a potential exit, but the club could allow him to fight for his Gunners future despite entering the final year of his contract.
Meanwhile, the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil also remain uncertainties beyond the summer, but Wenger finds the situation ‘ideal‘ as his players would seek to put in performances in the last year of their respective contracts.
