ARSENAL AND MAN CITY TO BATTLE FOR STAR MIDFIELDER

 

Arsenal and Manchester City have shown interest Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar. Aouar has impressed during the Ligue 1 season. He has especially caught the attention of City boss Pep Guardiola, who adores the player, according to L’Equipe. Aouar gave a good account of himself when he faced City this season. Lyon have played City three times this season. The French outfit has got the better of their more illustrious England counterpart on two occasions, ultimately sending them out of the UEFA Champions League in the quarter final stage. A match Lyon won 3-1 with Aouar at the middle of every positive attack from Lyon.


It was at the group stage the Aouar announced his brilliance to City and Gurdiola and the Citizens have been monitoring the player since then. There were unconfirmed reports that they made an enquiry about the player’s availability in January, but no deal materialized.

City has secured the services of Spanish winger Ferran Torres from Valencia, in a bid to rebuild and bridge the gap between them and League Champions Liverpool. They will now launch a bid for Aouar as they see him as direct replacement for veteran David Silva who left Etihad Stadium to join Real Soceidad.

Meanwhile, The Gunners have also been credited with an interest in the midfielder. Few months back, there were reports in England that Arsenal were among the interested sides. Aouar is considered right up there with some of the best in Europe. His goals, assists, technique, and the ability to run games from the middle has seen his stock rise steadily in the past few months. Lyon are hoping to get around £54 million for the sale of the player. Although that could be tricky with the effect of the Covid-19 Pandemic on clubs’ finances.

Former AC Milan manager and player Clarence Seedorf was asked recently about Aouar and a possible switch to the EPL. The former Real Madrid stated that the talent in the player is open for all to see and he personally can’t wait to see him play for the top clubs in Europe.