Arsenal’s Houssem Aouar transfer pursuit takes hit as Lyon’s fierce rivals St-Etienne mull over £36m Wesley Fofana bid
ARSENAL’S move for Lyon star Houssem Aouar could depend on Leicester’s pursuit of Saint-Etienne centre-back Wesley Fofana.
The Gunners remain desperate to bring in the French playmaker, with the 22-year-old keen to make the move to the Emirates before the window closes on Monday.
But according to GFFN, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas is monitoring the situation with rivals St-Etienne, who are mulling over accepting a £36million offer from the Foxes for Fofana.
ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Click here for the latest Gunners news
They claim that Brendan Rodgers‘ side have tabled an initial £32m bid which would rise to £36m if bonuses are met.
GFFN state that Aulas is determined not to sell Aouar for less than the 19-year-old, as he is seeking a similar offer from Arsenal if he was to cash in on his prized asset.
They tweeted: “Will be interesting to see how much Lyon President Aulas is watching events over at rivals St-Etienne with their Wesley Fofana saga.
“He certainly won’t stand for optics where a 19-year-old defender from his rivals sells for more than Houssem Aouar, the cornerstone of his side.”
Arsenal have already had a £32m bid rejected by Lyon for Aouar, with the North Londoners ready to make an improved offer imminently.
Aulas has warned Arsenal they have until Friday to wrap up a deal to sign the player, or they will be not be letting him go.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has commented on potentially playing alongside Aouar to fuel speculation a deal could be close.
LATEST ARSENAL NEWS
He said: “He’s a very good player.
“I hope we will be lucky to have these types of players at the club, I’m sure he can bring a lot to us.
“I hope he will come even though he is at Lyon.”