Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed that Arsenal have made a bid for Houssem Aouar but it was rejected, as per the Mirror.
The Frenchman has been one of the best players for the French club in the last couple of years. He made 41 appearances last season and notched up nine goals in all competitions. The 22-year-old also played an important role in taking his team to the semi-finals of the 2019/20 Champions League.
Earlier, it was being reported by ESPN that the North London club had lodged a bid to secure the midfielder. The report also states that the French side were willing to reduce their asking price from £55m to somewhere in the region of £36-41m.
There was another report in L’Equipe that claimed that the Emirates club had agreed personal terms with Aouar. The president rubbished the reports and revealed that he expects the midfielder to lead the club next season.
The OL chief further added that Arsenal have made an offer but it was too low to be considered. He tweeted(translated from French):
“For Houssem Arsenal is too far from his value: we are counting on him to play a great match in Lorient and lead OL in CL next year.”
Transferts : Houssem Aouar (OL) d'accord avec Arsenal – @OL :il y aura très peu de départs: pour Houssem Arsenal est bcp trop éloigné de sa valeur: on compte sur lui pour faire un grand match à Lorient et mener l’OL en CL l’année prochaine 👍 https://t.co/8SUKIHLcLJ
— Jean-Michel AULAS (@JM_Aulas) September 26, 2020
Jean-Michel Aulas is known to be a tough negotiator, so his comments might be intended to put pressure on the Gunners and extract maximum value for his midfielder. Going by the other reports, it seems the club are still interested in a move for Aouar.
If the North London club can agree a deal, it would be some signing and one that instantly improves the quality of the squad. The Frenchman is the type of player who can act as a swift link between attack and defense. This has been a problem for the North Londoners against teams that like to defend deep.
However Lyon are not going to let their star leave without a fight. So, the Gunners will have to dig deep to get their man and we will know more about this deal in the next few days. If it all goes to plan, the Emirates will witness a player who has the potential to become world class.
