Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were said to the favourites to sign Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar but according to Le 10 Sport, the Gunners have cooled their interest.
The exclusive report claims: “After having transmitted a transfer offer for Houssem Aouar, Arsenal do not wish to go beyond the proposed amount. The Gunners are in the process of withdrawing from the case.
“By drawing the very first offer of the summer for Houssem Aouar , Arsenal tried a blow.
“According to our information, Arsenal has just indicated that it would stop their interest in the Aouar file. The Gunners won’t come up with more than their first offer.”
Arsenal and Spurs aren’t the only English clubs who have been linked with the Lyon midfielder but according to the French media, the two North London sides have the best chance of landing the 23-year-old.
But now that Arsenal have backed off, Spurs will firmly believe that they can get their hands on Houssem Aouar, despite Manchester United sniffing around.
Recently, ESPN had claimed that Man United are also keeping tabs on the midfielder but we believe Solskjaer will not make a move for Aouar unless he is absolutely sure that Paul Pogba will be leaving.
Houssem Aouar had a really average 2020-21 season which could be one of the major reasons why the Gunners have backed off from this deal.
Also, Arsenal have been linked with far better players like Manuel Locatelli and Ruben Neves.
It still remains to be seen how the new Spurs manager will react to this news. Will Nuno ask for a discount now that Arsenal have backed off or does he take swift action and sign Houssem Aouar before the other Premier League sides make concrete approaches?
Last season, the French international played in 30 Ligue 1 games, scording seven and assisting three goals for Lyon.
