Houssem Aouar wants to leave Lyon amid interest from Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, the Ligue 1 club’s general manager Vincent Ponsot said in quotes reported by the Metro.
As they say on the other side of the channel, quell surprise.
We mean that sarcastically of course. It is no secret that Aouar has wanted to leave the Groupama Stadium for some time now and, with the transfer window set to close early next week, the France international must be getting a little restless as the sands of time drift away.
Aouar has been linked with Arsenal since the latter days of Arsene Wenger while, according to Sky Sports, Tottenham held talks with the silky play-maker in midweek.
His preference is to play Champions League football, however. So it would be no stretch to suggest that, given the choice, Liverpool would be his preferred destination.
Le10 Sport claimed back in July that the men from Merseyside have expressed their interest too, although it is not certain whether the re-emergence of Naby Keita or the rapid rise of Harvey Elliott has changed things since then.
Cometh the Aouar, cometh the man?
“He’s been playing with us for a while and he aspires to play elsewhere,” Ponsot confirmed when asked about Aouar’s future.
“But if he stays here, he will be very happy and so will we. In this system, I think he still has a lot to give.”
With perennial crisis-club Lyon seemingly on the verge of yet another implosion – new head coach Peter Bosz was under huge pressure even before Lyon threw away a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with newly-promoted Clermont Foot on Sunday – Aouar is unlikely to change his mind any time soon
A graduate from Les Gones’ famous academy, Aouar has just two years left on his contract and it is understood that a bid in the region of £21 million could convince president Jean Michel Aulas to cash in at last.
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