Edu Can Target Three Houssem Aouar Alternatives At Lyon After Arsenal's £44.9m Transfer Talks

Arsenal could take advantage of a firesale at Lyon during the summer transfer window.

Having finished the 2019/20 Ligue 1 season in seventh place as well as losing in the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich, Les Gones will not be in Europe next season.

As a result, some of the club's most prized possessions are likely to move on before deadline day at the beginning of October.

The aim now is to continue working, immediately with Ligue 1," Juninho Pernambucano, the club's sporting director, told RMC Sport.

"There are no presents. We will have to work. If we continue like this, we will be back in this competition.

"When you are well paid, you need motivation every day, we are going to concentrate on Ligue 1. There are the basics.

There will be departures, but I am not worried. When you have players who play very well in a competition like this, like Moussa and Houssem...

"We will have to show the same spirit to be back in the Champions League next season."

Of the two names Juninho mentioned, Houssem Aouar has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium and according to L'Equipe, the Gunners made an offer of cash plus Matteo Guendouzi for the 22-year-old midfielder last week.

However, there are a couple of issues standing in Arsenal's way.

One being they will have to match Lyon's valuation of €50million (£44.9m) and the other being that Juventus, as well as Manchester City are keen on Aouar's signature too.

With that said, Aouar is not the only Lyon player that could be on Mikel Arteta's radar this summer.

As per French football writer Jeremy Smith, L'Equipe have come up with their top 8 Lyon players in terms of value and there could be one or two bargains in there for the Gunners.

Jeff Reine-Adelaide, a former Arsenal player, is valued €25m (£22.4m), although the report doesn't state that the attacking midfielder will be put up for sale.

With that said, Memphis Depay's €20m (£17.9m) is due to having less than a year remaining on his contract at the Groupama Stadium and has been linked with a move to Arsenal in recent months.

A return to England for the ex-Man United star could see him take up a spot on the left-wing, thus allowing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to play more centrally.

Or could Moussa Dembele's €40m (£35.9m) valuation tempt the Gunners' technical director, Edu, to discuss more than just Aouar with his compatriot Juninho.

Comments

'I Tried My Best' - Arsenal Boss Arteta Believes He Did All He Could To Include Axed Ozil

The 32-year-old did not feature for the Gunners after lockdown and was subsequently omitted from the club's 25-man Premier League squad. Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta believes he did all he could to give Mesut Ozil a fair shot before he axed the German from his squad. Ozil's name was not among Arsenal's 25-man Premier League squad that was released earlier this month, which followed the playmaker's exclusion from Arsenal's Europa League squad. As the 32-year-old enters the final months of his contract with the Gunners, it now appears likely that he has played his final game for the team. Ozil did play a part for Arsenal last season, at one point starting 10 consecutive Premier League games for the Gunners before the coronavirus lockdown in March. The playmaker did not make a single appearance for Arsenal after lockdown, however, but Arteta has still insisted he gave Ozil every chance to impress before he was omitted from his team. "What I can tell you that I...

Arteta Must Be Strong To Survive Allegri Rumours’ – Arsenal Boss Can’t Show Weakness, Says Smith

The former Gunners striker has urged an under-fire Spaniard to prove that he is the right man for the job and end links to an ex-Juventus coach Alan Smith claims it is “an open secret” that former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri is being recommended to Arsenal amid their ongoing struggles, with Mikel Arteta told he is going to have to show no weakness in order to “survive” the rumours. The Gunners have continued to stumble out of the blocks in 2020-21, with their worst start made to a Premier League campaign. Inability to establish any kind of momentum has the north London outfit languishing in the bottom-half of the table and glancing anxiously over their shoulder at the drop zone below them. Unsurprisingly, questions are being asked of Arteta’s ongoing presence, with a rookie coach finding out the hard way just how tough life at the top can be. Arsenal have offered no indication that they are contemplating another managerial change, but Smith says potential successors – including ...

Arsenal's £72m Enigma: Arteta Right To Demand More From Mercurial Pepe

The Gunners' record signing may have scored his third goal of the season on Thursday night but his manager wants consistency across 90 minutes. Mikel Arteta’s answer was clear when asked what Nicolas Pepe needed to show in order to earn himself a regular starting spot in Arsenal's Premier League team. “Consistency,” said the Arsenal boss, when quizzed on the Gunners’ record signing, following Thursday’s night’s 4-1 Europa League win against Molde at the Emirates Stadium. It was a game that perfectly encapsulated the enigma that is Pepe. The £72 million ($95m) man was infuriating at times - especially in the first half - but just as he had done against Dundalk a week earlier, he popped up with an excellent goal. He also went on to add an assist for Joe Willock, a late strike which sealed a comfortable victory for Arteta’s side and all but booked Arsenal’s passage into the knockout stages. It was a classic Pepe performance and more evidence of why he remains such a puzzle in nort...

WELCOME TO GIST CORRIDOR

Search This Blog