Arsenal Tracking £54m Houssem Auoar

Arsenal are locked in a transfer battle with Manchester City over Houssem Auoar.

The midfielder has received a lot of praise for his performances in Ligue 1 and has caught the eye of both Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.

He seems to be the ideal fit into both their systems. Technically gifted, creative, attacking-minded and has an eye for the right pass – Auoar would be an immediate improvement to Arsenal’s current midfield setup. City, on the other hand, have just signed Ferran Torres and have no immediate need for another midfielder.

Arteta is actively pursuing players more suited to his playing style at the Emirates. Names like Lucas Torreira, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Mohamed Elneny and Mesut Ozil could be offloaded to bring in better reinforcements. How much he will be supported in his demands remains to be seen.

Auoar is being valued at over £50 million by Olympique Lyon. The Ligue 1 outfit is aware of the interest in him and are willing to wait until their Champions League campaign is over. The 22-year-old played a key part in knocking Juventus out in the knockout stages on Friday night.

Auoar versatility and creative intent makes him an attractive prospect to pursue. He is still very young and can quickly adapt to the Premier League. He can also be the permanent answer to Dani Ceballos’ number eight role since their is no word of the Spaniard’s extended loan deal. Will Arsenal be able to get this done? Doubtful.