If there is anything Arsenal fans will not wish to hear, then it is the interest in Houssem Aouar by other clubs but sadly, that is already happening.

The latest reports have claimed that a Champions League team is also interested in the signature of the Lyon midfielder but they are only keeping it late to land him this summer transfer window.

Lyon director Juninho hints that the final two weeks of the summer transfer window could have the Champions League club step forward with their bid for Houssem Aouar.

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The Telegraph also reports that the Gunners’ rivals will be willing to pay the £54 million wanted by the French Ligue 1 outfit for Houssem Aouar and that could lure the player into agreeing on the deal as he will fancy a Champions League football ahead of the Europa League.

No doubt, Houssem Aouar is a top target for manager Mikel Arteta which makes the Gunners insist on his signature. For Arsenal to be able to land the Lyon midfielder, they will have to sell more players to boost their financial strength.

Arsenal have already cashed in £20 million from the sale of Emi Martinez and will have to do more to get rid of more players if they must meet the valuation by the French Ligue 1 outfit.

If you have ever heard that Barcelona star Lionel Messi was linked with a move to the English Premier League outfit Arsenal in the past and doubt that it is true. It has been talked about again.

Lionel Messi’s former agent has recalled how the Argentina international came close to becoming a Gunner in 2003 with former manager Arsene Wenger making an attempt to snap him up.

Speaking to Marca, Fabian Soldini said Lionel Messi was close to joining Arsenal as he was tempted by the offers from the English Premier League side but he later opted not to go.

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According to him, the North London outfit were only able to prise away Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas because he accepted to leave as both were asked by the Catalans to go.

Cesc Fabregas went ahead to develop at the North London club but Lionel Messi became a more prominent figure in the game, and all of the feats would have been achieved in an Arsenal shirt.

With the number of players reported to have been linked with Arsenal under former manager Arsene Wenger, there is no doubt that the Frenchman is one of the best scouts, even as a manager, having identified such talent from a very young age.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has made the addition of a central midfielder his top priority for the rest of this summer’s transfer market according to the Daily Mirror.

Arteta could even need to sign two central midfielders with the future of young French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi in serious doubt at the club.

Matteo Guendouzi is not in Arteta’s plans, and the club is ready to listen to offers for him.

In his bid to sign a midfielder, Mikel Arteta wants to offload two defenders to provide non-homegrown space and funds for new arrivals.

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Defenders Shkrodan Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac could be on their way out of Arsenal before the current transfer market closes in 12 days’ time.

Mustafi is the subject of a transfer enquiry from Italian Serie A side Lazio.

The German World Cup winner has less than a year on his Arsenal contract and a fee of around €15m as been mooted as the transfer figure required for his move from North London to Lazio.

Arsenal might negotiate his transfer for lesser as they try to cash in on him. The Gunners have adequate centre-back cover following the arrivals of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba from France.

Gunners left-back Sead Kolasinac is a big target for German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen with a fee of €10m being touted as the transfer figure needed for his move back to Germany.

Sead Kolasinac signed for the Gunners from German team Schalke 04 on a free transfer three years ago.

Premier League team Arsenal have been handed an ultimatum to fulfil the release clause obligations in the contract of Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey or risk losing out on him.

Renowned Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed via his official Twitter account that the Gunners will have to pay the €50m (£45m) release clause in Partey’s contract at the club before adding that Arsenal have less than two weeks to pull off the signing.

The transfer guru also pointed out that Atletico Madrid no longer have pressing financial needs after they sanctioned the transfer of Spanish striker Alvaro Morata to Juventus in a £49.5m.

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Morata has returned to Juventus on a loan deal for this season at £8.2m with the option to make his transfer permanent for £41.3m at the end of the loan contract next summer.

Arsenal have been trying to sign Thomas Partey since the current transfer window opened in July.

Atletico Madrid are interested in Arsenal player Lucas Torreira and the Gunners proposed a player-plus-cash offer involving the Uruguayan and Thomas Partey but it was swiftly turned down by the La Liga team.

The Gunners must pay the release clause of the 27-year-old Ghanaian international in full to sign him.

According to reports from Football London, Arsenal sporting director Edu has picked out £27m AS Roma midfielder Amadou Diawara as the alternative for the Gunners if they are unable to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey, and his Lyon counterpart Houssem Aouar.

The 23-year-old Guinean is a defensive midfielder and he’s seen as the transfer alternative for both Partey and Aouar.

Gunners’ boss Arteta has made both Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar his midfield targets in the current transfer window, but the club will need a lot of money to pull off just one of the two transfers.

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Atletico Madrid are adamant that Arsenal will have to pay the £45m release clause in Partey’s contract at the club.

The Spaniards are interested in signing an Arsenal player, Lucas Torreira, but they are only ready to offer a loan deal for the diminutive Uruguayan international.

Lyon skipper Aouar is a more attack-minded midfielder than Partey and he’s more expensive at £53m.

He was at the heart of Lyon’s midfield last season as they reached the Champions League semi-finals. Aouar scored nine goals plus 10 assists in 41 games last season for the French club.

Arsenal offered midfielder Matteo Guendouzi earlier in this window but the option of a swap deal was thrown out by Lyon.

A report by Italian outlet Calciomercato reveals that Italian Serie A outfit Lazio are in talks with the English Premier League club Arsenal over a deal for Shkodran Mustafi this summer window.

It is claimed that they are keen on the German defender and will work hard to prise him away as they are already in talks with the Gunners chiefs.

Shkodran Mustafi is one of the players that have been tipped to leave the club this summer window as he has now gone down the pecking order in the Mikel Arteta team with the signing of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.

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With no hope of regular playing time in the new season, the best option for Shkodran Mustafi is to leave the club and he is reportedly listening to offers with the hope of completing a move to Italy.

However, the North London outfit have valued Shkodran Mustafi at £10 million and that could be affordable for Lazio but that will not happen without a battle with other Serie A clubs who are also interested in his signature.

Shkodran Mustafi is expected to raise part of the funds that will be used by Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal to bring in a midfielder before the end of the summer transfer window.

From all indications, the English Premier League club Arsenal are no longer interested in the signature of Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard as they are yet to submit an offer for him.

Odsonne Edouard was linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium after it was claimed that he wants to leave Celtic because of their failure to qualify for the Champions League.

The speculations of Arsenal’s link with Odsonne Edouard were motivated by the claims that Alexandre Lacazette would be leaving the club this summer transfer window and he was tipped as a replacement.

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The issue has now been laid to rest as it is assured that the Alexandre Lacazette is in the plans of manager Mikel Arteta for the new season and will no longer be leaving the club this summer window.

The development has been further explained with the claim by Celtic boss Neil Lennon that the club have not received any bid from any club for their star striker while stressing that they are not interested in parting ways with him anytime soon.

However, with the current situation at Arsenal, there are no chances that the former Lyon striker will leave the club as he has delivered good performances with goals in his last two Premier League games.

English Premier League outfit Arsenal are reportedly keen on the signature of Chief medic Bruno Mazziotti from French Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint Germain in the coming days.

The North London outfit are known to be a team that battles with injury as that has been the ordeal for many seasons. There are now moves to make the situation better by equipping the medical team as the squad.

It would be recalled that the Gunners’ Head of Physiotherapy Chris Morgan left the club in the summer and there is a need to have him replaced with another.

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The Athletic reports that Arsenal chief Edu is keen to work with his old friend again so as to fill the vacant position at the club.

It is understood that Edu and Bruno Mazziotti worked together at Corinthians and the Selecao national team. They could be set for a reunion at the Emirates Stadium for the new season.

The North London club have got a number of injury situations at the moment but that that not affected their results with two major wins in their opening games of the season.

Arsenal will be hoping to land Bruno Mazziotti to help get most of the players back to full fitness.