MIKEL ARTETA reportedly took details about Houssem Aouar after a Champions League match with Manchester City two years ago.
Arsenal are closing in on the 22-year-old but the Spaniard’s interest in the Lyon playmaker stretches back to 2018.
Mikel Arteta has been keeping tabs on Houssem Aouar for a number of years
The Lyon playmaker impressed the Arsenal boss when he was Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City back in 2018Credit: Reuters
Arteta is desperate to bring the player to North London and has reportedly made him the club’s number one target.
And part of that decision may have been motivated by the quality Aouar showed in front of Arteta, when the Gunners boss was at Manchester City.
Lyon memorably took four points from the Premier League side back in the 2018/19 Champions League group stages.
The Ligue 1 outfit claimed an unlikely scalp at the Etihad, while an Aouar masterclass saw them hold City to 2-2 draw in France.
According to Get French Football News, L’Equipe claim that Pep Guardiola spent a long time congratulating the midfielder after the match.
His assistant at the time, Arteta, also allegedly spent time with Aouar in the corridors of the Parc Olympique Lyonnais stadium.
The report claimed that he praised the Frenchman for his standout showing before taking down some details relating to the youngster.
Two years later Arteta is said to be willing to sell THREE members of Arsenal’s first-team squad in order to get Aouar.
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Lucas Torreira, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Sead Kolasinac have all been tipped to leave North London before next month’s deadline.
Second-choice goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has already been sold to Aston Villa for £20million.
And Arteta wants to add at least one more top-class signing following the arrivals of Willian and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Arteta has made Aouar his number one target before the transfer deadline
Ex-Celtic star Kieran Tierney says Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has taught him whole new way of playing football
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
