ARSENAL failed in their bid to sign Houssem Aouar in the summer because their offer was ‘below market value’, according to Lyon chief Vincent Ponsont.
The Gunners were chasing both Aouar and Thomas Partey during the summer window as Mikel Arteta hunted for some fresh blood in midfield.
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Arsenal failed to sign Aouar as they offered too little, according to Lyon chiefCredit: Getty Images – Getty
The North Londoners negotiated long and hard to try to get a discounted deal.
But eventually they were forced to trigger Partey’s £45million release fee with neither Atletico Madrid nor Lyon willing to let their star man go cheaply.
Now, Lyon general manager Ponsont has revealed THREE clubs were chasing Aouar in the summer.
And he claimed Arsenal offered too little, even considering they were willing to give them a ‘discount’ due to the financial repercussions of coronavirus.
Ponsont told L’Equipe: “We had three big clubs for him. The first one was more for next season.
“The second one was related to the departure of a player, and with this club, we could have come to an agreement.
“The third club was Arsenal, who offered below the market value.
“We discussed it with the player’s entourage, and together we took the decision to say no.
“The priority for us was clearly to keep the team competitive.
“For us, the market was over, but the coach told us that we were missing a lateral defender and then a central defender.
“But in the medium term, if Covid continues, it will be the same.”
Ponsont continued by suggesting the pandemic had left them tempted to rake in some money from Aouar, despite the low-ball offer.
He added: “The economic situation is catastrophic for the football world. We are significantly impacted.
“On the market, there were two phases: reducing the number of players, which we did very well, and a second part concerning the players who could potentially leave.
“Finally, we could have transferred some of them, with a discount on the price.
“But even with the Covid impact, we decided to postpone.”
Houssem Aouar shows off his ball control in Lyon football training
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
