Arsenal are reportedly set to launch an improve £35 million bid to sign Thomas Lemar from AS Monaco in the summer
According to a report in The Sun, Arsenal have tabled an improved bid worth £35 million to AS Monaco for Thomas Lemar. The Gunners’ North London rivals, Tottenham are also interested in signing the French attacker in the summer transfer window.
AS Monaco were the Cinderella story of European football in the recently concluded season as they shocked everyone by clinching the Ligue 1 title in dominating fashion while also reaching the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League.
The principality club played some of the most scintillating football in the continent, owing to a group of young and exciting attacking players with little inhibitions. One such player is 21-year-old French attacker, Thomas Lemar.
In only his second season at Stade Louis II, France international Lemar played a fundamental role for the principality club, having been a mainstay in attack. The player made a staggering 55 appearances in all competitions for Monaco in 2016/17, with an impressive return of 14 goals and 17 assists to show for his efforts.
Suffice to say, Lemar was one of the most outstanding attacking players in Europe in the recently concluded season. And he is rightly attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe. The most heavy interest comes from the Premier League, where Arsenal and Tottenham are battling for his signature.
At Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino is eager to bolster his attacking options with little to choose from in terms of qualitative options beyond Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Son Heung-Min. With Erik Lamela and Moussa Sissoko failing to make a mark for Spurs, Lemar is being eyed as a top summer target.
Meanwhile, at the Emirates, Arsene Wenger is in desperate search for a left-sided attacking player, with Alexis Sanchez’s future up in the air. The Chilean forward is being heavily linked with a summer exit from the Emirates, with Manchester City and Bayern Munich in the fray for him.
Should Sanchez leave Arsenal in the summer transfer window, the Gunners will be short of genuine quality in attack. As a result, Wenger has turned his attention towards Lemar – a player he has his eyes on since two years. The North London club, though, have had a £28 million bid rejected by Monaco.
However, Arsenal are set to make a second attempt to land Lemar in the summer transfer window, with a bid worth £35 million for the player. It now remains to be seen if the latest offer is good enough to tempt Monaco into selling the 21-year-old, with Arsene Wenger keen to sign him this summer.
