Arsenal have reportedly agreed provisional terms with Alexis Claude-Maurice, with FC Lorient slapping a €20 million asking price on the forward.
According to Get French Football News, Arsenal are closing in on a deal to sign Alexis Claude-Maurice. The Gunners have reportedly agreed provisional terms with the player and are set to table a third offer to FC Lorient in order to wrap up the deal to sign the forward.
Arsenal have seen two of their bids knocked back swiftly by FC Lorient, with the last one being a €16 million offer. The French club have slapped a €20 million asking price on Claude-Maurice and remain intent on getting the desired amount as interest rises in their young forward.
The report further claims that a third offer is imminent from Arsenal. With only a €4 million difference between the two valuations so far, the Gunners are expected to oblige to FC Lorient’s demand and put in a bid that will see the club agree to sell Claude-Maurice.
Arsenal are close to agreeing a deal to sign Lorient forward Alexis Claude-Maurice after their latest bid of £18m, with the transfer potentially finalised in the coming days. [@SoccerLink_] #afc pic.twitter.com/HZyyysy896
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) June 15, 2019
Perhaps, one big reason of slapping a €20 million asking price stems from the success that Matteo Guendouzi has been able to garner at Arsenal. The former FC Lorient star moved to England in the summer of 2018 for just €8 million but ended up being a regular part of the Gunners’ first-team setup, making 33 appearances in the Premier League alone over the course of the season.
Alexis Claude-Maurice, though, sounds a better prospect than Guendouzi did before his arrival at Arsenal. The 21-year-old had a brilliant 2018-19 Ligue 2 campaign with FC Lorient, with 14 goals and 4 assists to his name, despite playing most of the games in left midfield.
Name one Arsenal player who can do this? Alexis Claude Maurice is an exciting signing for 18m pic.twitter.com/kChvQrQ84H
— Met. (@AFCMet) June 15, 2019
Arsenal are in need of quality and natural wide attackers to add to their squad and Claude-Maurice, like Guendouzi, could prove to be a masterstroke. €20 million for a 21-year-old who just had a double-figure season in terms of goals while playing in a wide position is more than justified in the current market.
Arsenal might also pay the whole amount to land Claude-Maurice as they seem to have been priced out of deals for other wide targets like Nicolas Pepe and Yannick Carrasco.
There is a rich history of Arsenal bringing in relatively unknown players from France, with huge success thereafter. Judging by how the updates are going, we expect Alexis Claude-Maurice to be added to the aforementioned list of arrivals.
