Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar would reportedly favour a transfer to Arsenal over Real Madrid as he thinks he’d likely get more playing time in Mikel Arteta’s side.
This is according to a report from Spanish outlet Don Balon, who claim that Aouar had also been eyed up by Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, but with the Frenchman seemingly not feeling like he’d have as many opportunities with a move to the Bernabeu.
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Arsenal were linked strongly with Aouar for much of the summer, with the Telegraph claiming the Gunners could have signed him for around £54million, though one imagines Lyon may well ask for more than that for this talented young player in the future.
It also remains to be seen if Arsenal will be back in for the France international, though it certainly seems like they could do with his creativity in midfield.
AFC ended up signing Thomas Partey instead in a late move on deadline day, but Aouar could perhaps be an ideal partner for him, providing more quality with his passing than the club’s other midfielders like Dani Ceballos (who is only on loan at the Emirates Stadium anyway) and Granit Xhaka.
Aouar clearly seems to have his preferred destination in mind, so Arsenal would do well to take advantage of this if the report is accurate.
Despite a decent transfer window this year, Arteta’s side still looks a work in progress after an inconsistent start to the new season.