Arsenal are struggling to sign ,and possibly keep a hold of, key players this summer transfer window. Things may have got even more difficult as the club have had a transfer bid for French international Thomas Lemar rejected by Monaco.
The Gunners are in the market for players who can get the side back into the Premier League’s top four and face the possibility of losing last season’s leading scorer Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City. The team could also lose Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil this summer.
Arsenal are keen on signing Monaco’s Lemar and Kylian Mbappe. However, Arsenal’s initial bid of £30.7 million for the French champions winger Lemar has been rejected. Reports indicate that Monaco do not want to sell Lemar, despite already agreeing to sell several other key players already.
Arsenal hope Lemar could replace Sanchez, if the Chilean leaves for pastures new. However, that looks unlikely at the moment, unless Arsenal raise their bid for the player. English media is reporting that Arsenal hope that Lemar’s purchase could spur Mbappe to sign for the club as well. Mbappe looks more likely to sign for Real Madrid as the 18-year-old is being heavily courted by the back-to-back Champions League winners, however.
Only 21, Lemar had a starring role in Monaco’s Ligue 1 triumph last season. He came through the famed Caen youth program before playing with the senior side 32 times. The French international joined Monaco in 2015 for just £3.40m.
Thomas Lemar 2016-17 key stats:
- 9 goals in 34 Ligue 1 matches
- 10 assists in 34 Ligue 1 matches
- 2.2 key passes per Ligue 1 match
- 1.7 shots per Ligue 1 match