Arsenal need to strengthen in the midfield positions ahead of the Premier League campaign. The Gunners have already signed Fabio Vieira but more additions are still required in the middle of the park to bolster Mikel Arteta’s options.
One player the club has been linked with is Lucas Paqueta. Ben Jacobs of CBS Sports has reported that a move for Paqueta to Arsenal is very possible as Arsenal are going to make contact with the player first before any bid.
However, Lyon are reportedly requiring a €65million (£54million) fee to secure his services which is an expensive deal. The Gunners can instead explore Houssem Aouar’s transfer intentions and sign him for a much cheaper price.
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According to French news outlet L’Equipe, Real Betis has met with Aouar to discuss a potential transfer. But, the Frenchman’s preference is to move to the Premier League and it will cost €15million (12.6million) to secure his services.
Earlier in the season, Italian news outlet Calciomercato claimed that the Gunners are keen on signing Aouar. The midfielder has changed his agent which could be a game-changer from the previous attempt to sign him.
Arsenal have made it clear the type of midfielder they are going to sign in the summer transfer window. It is because of this that Aouar would be the ideal signing for the Gunners ahead of next season.
The north London side has seemed to target players who have excellent ball carrying skills. With Granit Xhaka anchoring the midfield and Martin Odegaard being tasked with leading the team in creating chances, having a midfielder who can successfully carry the ball from defence to midfield is crucial.
The Lyon man managed to score seven goals from midfield in 30 league games last season. This was more than the goals scored in the league by Arsenal’s central midfield combined (5).
Aouar would be an excellent signing by Arsenal and it is a deal they should be pursuing. The Gunners will need strengthening in the midfield position, and the Lyon man would be an ideal candidate judging by the types of midfielders that Edu has been targeting ahead of next season with the likes of Paqueta also being linked. A transfer value of £12.6million would be a steal for the Gunners and prevents Edu from being financially strained when looking to strengthen other areas of the team.
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