Andriy Lunin Arsenal FC EPL
Emirates Arsenal FC EPL

Arsenal have a long-standing interest in Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta but with each passing day, the Gunners are falling behind in this transfer race.

Edu and Arteta are big admirers of the 24-year-old Brazilian and a few weeks ago, they were the favourites to sign him. However, the likes of Spurs and Manchester City have now joined the race and these two sides are currently leading the race.

Lucas Paqueta joined Lyon in 2020 and last season he was one of the standout players for the Ligue 1 side, scoring nine and assisting six goals in 35 league appearances for the club.

Lyon are willing to part ways with the midfielder but they are demanding around £67 million for his sale, primarily because he still has three years left on his contract.

Will Arsenal miss out on Lucas Paqueta?

A few days ago, Edu had even though he is a big admirer of the midfielder but Arsenal are not interested in him.

He said in an interview: “I’m very suspect to speak as I am a big fan of Lucas (Paqueta). He was considered the best player in the French league last season but there’s nothing. No talks. I’m a big admirer of him.”

Despite this statement, Arsenal continue to be linked with the Brazilian and most journalists are claiming that the Gunners are still very much in the transfer race.

However, the growing interest from Manchester City and Spurs is a major cause of concern for Arsenal because if these two sides step up their interest then Mikel Arteta will be in a lot of trouble.

Will Man City or Spurs make any concrete moves?

According to the reports, Man City are looking at Lucas Paqueta as the alternative to Bernando Silva so if Silva doesn’t leave then Pep Guardiola won’t make any moves for the Lyon man.

Barcelona are said to be interested in signing Bernando Silva but they need to get rid of Frenkie de Jong in order to free up their wage bills and register their current signings. Only after then can they even think of going after someone like Silva.

As far as Spurs are concerned, their stance is still not very clear but they did see a €40m+ offer rejected in January so there’s every chance that Antonio Conte will go back for him in the next one month.

Both Man City and Spurs can surely use a player like Lucas Paqueta but a lot of things will need to fall into place before either of them makes any formal offer.

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