According to RMC Sport, Lyon have now called off all talks for Houssem Aouar to leave the club amid links to Arsenal.
It’s claimed that Aouar and Memphis Depay were both in Lyon training on Saturday evening ahead of Sunday’s game against Marseille.
That now signals that Lyon won’t be selling either player during this transfer window, with their Saturday noon deadline passing without deals in place.
Depay has been pushing for a move to Barcelona, whilst Aouar is Arsenal’s top midfield target – and the Gunners have now missed out.
RMC reported last weekend that Arsenal had offered €36million (£32.5million) and were looking to raise that to €38million (£34.5million), but Lyon wanted much more.
With Arsenal unable to bridge the gap between their offers and Lyon’s valuation, the door has now been slammed shut on a move for Aouar.
The 22-year-old was the player Mikel Arteta wanted to bring some more creativity and guile to the Arsenal midfield, after hitting nine goals and 10 assists last season.
If Arsenal are to find a new midfielder, they will have to move quick, with any move for Aouar now off the table until January at the very earliest.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
