Arsenal Plot Bid After Club Agree To Sell £55m Attacker But Man Utd Also Keen

By Fraser Crawford on August 22, 2017

Managers are now pressing ahead with their plans for the final weeks of the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, the latest on Thomas Lemar…

Arsenal and Manchester United have been handed a huge boost as Monaco are now ready to cash-in on attacker Thomas Lemar during the closing stages of the window, according to report in France via The Sun.

Lemar has developed in to one of the best young attackers in the world and he caught the eye after providing 14 goals and 17 assists to help Monaco clinch the Ligue 1 title last season.

The 21-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal all summer but the Daily Record reported last week that Man Utd were also eyeing a move for the £55m-rated French international.

Monaco seemed open to the idea of selling Lemar earlier in the summer but their stance changed after Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Tiemoue Bakayoko left the club as they insisted that no more of their title-winning squad would be sold.

However, The Sun are citing reports coming out of France that claim Monaco have now made a dramatic u-turn with the French champions now understood to be ready to sell Lemar, Fabinho and Kylian Mbappe before the end of the month.

The newspaper says Arsenal are now expected to launch another bid to sign Lemar after seeing two previous offers knocked back but United remain in the hunt and could yet table an offer of their own.

Arsene Wenger has admitted he needs to free-up some space in his squad before bringing in any new players and Gabriel and Carl Jenkinson have recently secured moves away from the Emirates.

The likes of Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs, Lucas Perez and Mathieu Debuchy are expected to follow so once those players are off the books, Wenger will be able to make a renewed attempt to sign Lemar.

However, I wouldn’t discount United from the running just yet as Jose Mourinho has confirmed he’d still like to bring in a wide attacker before the end of the month and he may focus on Lemar after struggling to agree terms with Inter Milan for Ivan Perisic.

 We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming days but I think Lemar would be a superb signing for either Arsenal or United if one of the English giants could get a deal agreed before the end of the month.