Mikel Arteta was quizzed on transfers ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Fulham, with the clash between the two London clubs marking the start of the new campaign.
The Spaniard refused to comment when questioned about interest in Lyon maestro Houssem Aouar.
The French outfit’s chief, Juninho, confirmed recently that the north London outfit made a part-exchange bid for Aouar that would’ve sent outcast Matteo Guendouzi to the Ligue 1 side.
According to Matt Spiro via L’Equipe, Arsenal are the only club to have made an offer for Aouar, with the ace being valued at €60m, however Lyon will only consider straight cash bids for their prized asset.
Arteta responded that a lot of the speculation from the media regarding this situation is not ‘true’.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta refused to talk about the Gunners' pursuit of this central midfielder… pic.twitter.com/5JTmciDcKP
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) September 11, 2020
Aouar has been phenomenal for Lyon over the past couple of years, the ace contributed nine goals and 10 assists last term, playing a key part as they reached the Champions League semi-finals.
Aouar’s fine performances earned him a first call-up to France’s senior squad, unfortunately the midfielder never had the chance to make his debut as he tested positive for Covid-19 and was ruled out.
The Gunners finished 8th in the Premier League last season, it’s clear that the side is struggling in the middle of the park particularly, hence the constant speculation linking players like Aouar to the club.