Arsenal's bid for Houssem Aouar just got tougher as Paris Saint-Germain throw hat in the ring
Houssem Aouar has been elusive for the Gunners. Arsenal and Aouar made headlines ever since the top-tier Premier League side expressed interest in roping in the skilled midfielder. However, their plans of signing the Lyon star just got a lot tougher with French Giants, Paris Saint-Germain reportedly started negotiations with the club to sign Aouar.
According to ESPN (via L'Equipe), Arsenal's two formal bids have been rejected by Lyon with the most recent being £32M ($41M) as PSG has inched closer by putting in an amount closer to the £46M ($59M) fee Lyon have asked. The team needs to raise more money and in their attempt to do so, they're attempting to shift Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira, and Sead Kolasinac. The site also added that there has been no concrete breakthrough between Arsenal and Lyon with manager Mikel Arteta already looking at new options.
With October 2 as the deadline for matching the fee, it does appear PSG has jumped in with an advantage. ESPN's Julien Laurens reported Arsenal are looking at Chelsea's midfielder Jorghino.
Aouar has been on the radar of a few teams as he was instrumental in Lyon's journey to the Champions League semifinals last season. Reports suggested Aouar's scintillating display against Manchester City in a game that ended with a 2-2 draw had impressed manager Pep Guardiola. Arteta, who was his assistant at the time also reportedly spent time with the midfielder in the corridors at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais stadium taking notes, reported The Sun.
The wonder kid made his debut in 2017 against AZ Alkmaar in a round of 32 of the knockout phase of the UEFA Europa League, replacing Sergi Darder after 84 minutes. He scored his first goal for Lyon's first team a week later in the second-leg match against AZ Alkmaar which Lyon won 7–1. Aouar has worked his way up as one of the integral parts of Bruno Genesio's setup.
He came in with a hefty price tag. Lyon had an ask of $5,68,32,600 (£44M) for Aouar which has bumped up, though Arsenal has already spent a substantial amount to sign Pablo Mari, Cedric Soares, Gabriel and Willian, as well signing a new deal to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.