Arsenal were unable to find the £11m needed to match Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar‘s asking price, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.
The Gunners had tabled a €38m (£34m) bid, plus add-ons, for the 22-year-old but Lyon have stuck to their €50m (£45m) valuation throughout the negotiating process. When it was communicated that they were unable to meet the Ligue One club’s demands, the move collapsed:
Arsenal have never been “confident” today or on last few days just because Aulas always asked for €50m + add ons. #AFC last bid was around €38m + add ons. They were prepared to try again on next 48 hours but *not* for €50m + add ons. That’s why OL consider the talks off. ⚪️?
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 3, 2020
It has since emerged that Aouar made the decision to stay at Lyon, although it is likely that he was informed of Arsenal’s inability to meet the asking price, and had to do some backtracking in order to ensure he didn’t burn any bridges with his current club.
With a move for the France Under 21 international seemingly dead in the water, reports suggest that the Gunners will turn their attention to Chelsea midfielder Jorginho. With less than two days to go before the transfer deadline, it will be interesting to see whether they’ll make their move for the Italian.