Houssem Aouar and Thomas Partey were the two players consistently linked with Arsenal in the summer transfer window.
The Gunners were successful in signing Thomas from Atlético Madrid on the deadline day, but they couldn’t manage to secure the Lyon star’s signature.
Reports coming out of England suggested the north London club were never close to taking the Frenchman, and Le10 Sport have a report on Friday with a title that reads ‘Why Aouar did not sign for Arsenal’.
According to them, Aouar and the Ghana international’s names were on top of Mikel Arteta’s list to bolster his side’s midfield. It’s claimed the English side were dealing with signing these two players ‘head on’.
The Emirates club made an offer for the 22-year-old, but the Ligue 1 side turned it down.
Arteta and co. continued discussions with a view of reaching an agreement, but with a ‘very clear roadmap’ which was aimed at not overpaying. They had also set a ‘ceiling price’ for Aoaur.
Lyon’s requirements were higher, and having failed to sign the player, Arsenal completed the deal to bring Thomas Partey to north London.
It’s not clear whether the Premier League side would return for Aoaur in the future and if they do, Arsenal would have to battle it out with Juventus for his signing.
