Gianluca Di Marzio claim Jose Mourinho’s Roma have opened talks to sign Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar this summer – amid Arsenal interest; reports say they were on pole position to sign the France international.
Aouar, 23, has been constantly linked with a move to the Premier League – most notably, Arsenal. New reports this summer say Arsenal are on pole to sign the midfielder, who is a mainstay in a strong Lyon side.
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Breaking in to the club’s starting XI from the Lyon academy, Aouar has amassed a huge 214 appearances in all competitions already at 23. He has had a hand in 75 goals – scoring 40 and creating 35 more.
However, Arsenal now face competition for Aouar and it comes from Mourinho. The Italian side are keen to bolster their midfield in even after Nemanja Matic’s arrival – and have opened talks to sign Aouar.
Roma opened talks to sign Aouar amid Arsenal interest
Arsenal were desperate to sign Aouar in recent windows and even made a £35million bid. But Lyon’s no.8 has now entered the final 12 months of his contract and is likely to be available for a smaller price.
But the Gunners no longer need him. Martin Odegaard has been brought in. They still have Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka who can play as attacking midfielders, too. The need for Aouar at Arsenal has lessened.
Roma have opened talks to sign him and Mourinho is seemingly looking to get his business done early. He will want his side to improve on their sixth-placed finish in the Serie A table.
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