Arsenal armed with second offer for ‘very professional’ Arteta target
Arsenal will return with a second bid for Houssem Aouar this week, but that will almost certainly be rejected, claims a report in France.
RMC Sport report that Lyon chief Jean-Michel Aulas turned down an offer worth €36m last week. Arsenal though are keen to get the 22-year-old on board and will make another offer this week.
The source claim the Gunners will make a new bid at the beginning of the week worth €38m, which will also be rejected by the French club.
Get French Football News report that Aulas is looking for €50m minimum, excluding bonuses to get the deal done.
While RMC claim that suggestions the midfielder has agreed personal terms already are wide of the mark.
The midfielder played in Sunday’s draw with Lorient and remains “very professional”.
Get French Football News quote ‘a source close to the Lyon board’: “The two clubs are far from an agreement at the moment so this does not directly concern Houssem who should not be distracted by these exchanges. He is very professional.”
Arsenal have added Willian, Gabriel Magalhaes and Runar Alex Runarsson to their ranks, but Gunners boss Mikel Arteta admits it is difficult for the club to compete with the likes of Liverpool.
Arsenal made 55 redundancies during the summer in response to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are in different moments as clubs, with the success they had over the years and how stable they have been in the Champions League and Premier League,” he said.
“We just try to get the right momentum by doing the deals we believe are going to make us stronger and, with the resources we have at the moment. We try to push as hard as we can as a team to do it as quick as possible.”
Auba gives deal green light
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has publicly sanctioned Arsenal’s attempts to get Aouar on board at The Emirates.
Asked whether he was in favour of the Lyon star signing, Aubameyang was in no doubt. The Arsenal skipper did not swerve the questions, instead he gave the green light to Mikel Arteta’s efforts to land the talented midfielder.
Laughing, he told Canal+: “Of course we are in favour [of signing him].”
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