Transfer News: Manchester City, Juventus and Arsenal to lock horns for Houssem Aouar

Manchester City, Arsenal, and Juventus have entered into a three-way tussle for Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Houssem Aouar.

According to a report published by Daily Mail, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Juventus are ready to lock horns for the services of Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Houssem Aouar.

Aouar came through the Lyon youth ranks and made his debut for the first-team as a 17-year-old in 2016. He was rated very highly by the fans and was expected to be a starter in the club in his first full season. He was able to successfully mirror those expectations on the pitch, making 32 appearances in his first season scoring six goals and setting up five for his teammates in the league.

The Frenchman has gone from strength to strength since, coming up clutch for Lyon time and again. Since his debut, Aouar has played across the pitch, including left-wing, right-wing, attacking midfield, defensive-midfield, central-midfield, and even as a false-nine.

Aouar has managed to perform at a very high level in every position he has been deployed in and has been on the radar for several top clubs since his incredible 2018/19 campaign.

Manchester City were chasing his signature last summer as well but failed to close the signing. It is reported that Pep Guardiola is a big fan and would like to bring in him this season as well.

However, at the moment, the Sky Blues have five midfielders on their payroll, out of which three (Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden) match Aouar’s profile. That said, Pep has regularly played Bernardo and Foden as forwards and could fit in Aouar in either of the two roles, too.

Dani Ceballos has been the flagship of the high-powered Arsenal under Mikel Arteta as they have turned their fate around for the season, winning the FA Cup despite finishing 8th in the league. Now that his loan spell has run out, Aouar could be seen as a replacement, given that he operates in a similar role as the Spanish international but has more defensive depth to his game.

In case Arsenal do sign Ceballos permanently, playing him and Aouar together in a three-man midfield could work wonders for the London outfit, provided their defensive signings work out well.

Juventus have been in deep waters with regards to creativity from their midfield throughout the season, which has attracted criticism. This was also the catalyst behind their delayed win in the Serie A and their elimination from the Champions League against none other than Lyon. Aouar was one of the best players over the two legs.

This elimination has led to the sacking of Maurizio Sarri, with Andrea Pirlo replacing him. Either way, the 22-year-old could solve a lot of issues for the Bianconeri by adding creativity through the final third. He would excellently supplement Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala who constantly shuffle positions and could fill in the gaps.

Houssem Aouar is a wanted man, and even though Lyon have slapped a €54 million price tag on him, it would be safe to expect a three-way bidding war between the clubs. This could mean that Arsenal drop out, though, considering their frail transfer budget.