Arsenal technical director Edu has admitted his admiration for Lucas Paqueta, but insists there are no talks over a potential move to north London for the Brazil midfielder.
The Gunners have been frequently cited in summer transfer speculation as likely suitors for Paqueta, with recent reports suggesting that their interest had been reignited by Lyon dropping their financial demands to around the £34million mark for a player under contract in France for a further three years.
Tottenham, Manchester City and Newcastle are among the other Premier League clubs to have been frequently linked with the 24-year-old, who has scored 20 goals in 76 total appearances since joining Lyon from AC Milan in 2020 and also boasts 33 senior caps for Brazil at international level.
Arsenal have been notably active in the market so far this summer, bidding to get their major business done early with last week’s £32million deal for Oleksandr Zinchenko following the earlier signings of Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Marquinhos.
Mikel Arteta’s side have seen the benefit of such a proactive approach during pre-season, maintaining a 100 per cent record in their summer friendlies including a hugely beneficial tour of the United States that culminated in a 4-0 rout of London rivals Chelsea in Orlando on Saturday night.
While Edu insists that there is lots more still to be done at Arsenal before the transfer window closes on September 1, he insists there is no deal in the pipeline for Paqueta.
“I’m very respectful when I talk about Lucas,” he said of his compatriot to TNT Sports in Brazil.
“I’m a guy who likes him a lot, I’ve always liked him, since my time with Brazil’s national team. He’s had a great season, he was considered the best player in the French league.
“But today, there really isn’t any kind of talk, there’s only my admiration for the player, because the squad today is, in the position he plays, I think we’re very well served in this regard.”
