Portuguese giants Benfica have reportedly made a bid to sign Olympique Lyonnais star Houssem Aouar, with the rumoured Arsenal target already rejecting a move to Nottingham Forest this summer.
According to L’Equipe, the UEFA Champions League side have launched a €10m (£8m) offer to sign Aouar just days after the French midfielder reportedly rejected the chance to sign for Forest, with the likes of Arsenal and Crystal Palace also rumoured to be interested in the 24-year-old playmaker.
With Aouar’s contract expiring next summer, time is running out for Lyon to sell their star midfielder for a decent fee with the France international allowed to sign for clubs for free in 2023, yet Benfica could now provide a solution with the European titans making a decent offer for the former Forest target.
Aouar has been one of the best midfielders in France for quite some time, yet Lyon’s stubbornness to sell the 24-year-old for a good fee has seemingly back to bite the Ligue 1 side, with Peter Bosz’s side now set to receive just under a third of what Arsenal were reportedly ready to pay for the maestro in 2020.
The Gunners famously chased Aouar for the majority of the summer two years ago, with reports suggesting that a £35m bid was made from Arsenal to Lyon for the midfielder, an offer that, as we know, was rejected, with the north London side’s interest in French star waning ever since.
Indeed, Aouar looked set for a move to Forest this summer following reports that there was an agreement for the midfielder to sign for Steve Cooper’s side, but with the move collapsing, Benfica are now seemingly in the clear to land the Lyon star in the coming days.
Aouar signing will be one impressive coup for Benfica amid English interest
Aouar has been linked to the Premier League for what feels like forever, and with Benfica now taking the lead in talks to sign the midfielder, the Portuguese side look to now be on the cusp of landing a coup in the 24-year-old, much to the dismay of Arsenal, Forest and Palace.
With Benfica set for another year in the Champions League group stages, signing a player like Aouar will greatly help Roger Schmidt’s side in their quest for another knockout round appearance, and for Premier League sides, they will be fuming they missed out on such a talent to an unlikely foe.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
