£35m talent Arsenal have been chasing for years is now wanted by rivals

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OGC Nice are reportedly interested in signing Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Houssem Aouar, with the France international being chased by Arsenal for the past two years.

According to Nice-Matin, the Ligue 1 side are keen to improve the quality of their squad considerable this summer, with Aouar one of many top French players Nice are looking to sign in the coming week, with Arsenal still reportedly interested in the 23-year-old.

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Arsenal were strongly linked with the midfielder in 2020 and 2021, with Mikel Arteta even making a £35m bid for Aouar that was rejected by Lyon. However, that decision has now seemed to have backfired massively on the French side, with the maestro now only worth a reported £13m.

With Arsenal looking to sign a midfielder this summer who could one day replace Granit Xhaka, making a move for Aouar again makes a lot of sense for the Gunners, especially with Lyon now valuing the player at such a reasonable fee compared to the last two years.

Indeed, the Gunners should consider themselves the favourites to sign Aouar this summer, however, interest from European rivals Nice could complicate matters, with the Ligue 1 side not afraid to show their ambition in recent transfer windows.

Despite a fifth-place finish in Ligue 1 last season, Nice are one of the best-backed sides in French football, and signing Aouar is very possible given how desperate Lyon are to sell their prized assets this summer, which could result in Arsenal missing out on the 23-year-old talent.

Nice should feel confident in beating Arsenal to Aouar signing

Aouar has been linked with a move to Arsenal for what feels like forever, and this summer could finally see the Lyon midfielder leave his boyhood club for greener pastures, but for the Gunners, Nice should be feeling confident about signing the France international.

After all, Nice have plans to become one of the best sides in Ligue 1 in the coming years, and signing the likes of Aouar will be an incredible sign of intent from the French side, much to the dismay of Arsenal, who have been chasing the midfielder for the good part of two years.