Arsenal are reportedly ready to approach French club Lyon with a new and improved bid for midfielder Houssem Aouar, as per journalist Fabrizio Romano(via Mirror).
Aouar played a key role in helping the French club reach the semifinals of the Champions League last season where they lost to eventual champions Bayern Munich. The midfielder played 41 games throughout the season and contributed nine goals.
According to Fabrizio Romano(via Mirror), the North London club are in talks with the representatives of the 22-year-old and are preparing a new offer. The report further states that Lyon will not accept anything less than £54.5m for the young midfielder who is under contract with them for three more years.
ESPN recently claimed that the Gunners first bid of £31.2m was rejected by Lyon. Romano also tweeted saying that Lyon were not willing to entertain Matteo Guendouzi in a cash plus swap deal as part of the negotiation for Aouar.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is reportedly a fan of the player and his performances in the Champions League show why the Spanish boss is so keen on the midfielder. He will bring some much needed creativity to the team and will considerably improve the midfield.
But in order to finance this deal, the Emirates club will have come up with the necessary cash which is not going to be easy. The club have a made a good start to the season as they have brought in talented young center back Gabriel from Lille and along with him, the club has also signed Willian on a free from Chelsea as well as bringing back Dani Ceballos in a loan deal.
If the North Londoners are able to bring in Aouar, it will give the team an extra boost that will make it easier to compete with the top clubs. They need to get back to the Champions League and one way of doing that is by bringing in quality players such as the Frenchman.
Apart from this, this deal will show that the Arsenal board are willing to back Arteta and give him the players that he wants with which he can further the team’s success.
