Arsenal transfer news: Thomas Lemar ‘would prefer’ to join Liverpool

Thomas Lemar has made his choice, reports The Independent, and it’s grim news for the Gunners.

The paper says that the Monaco magician “would prefer to join Liverpool rather than Arsenal” in next month’s transfer window and the Reds are rolling in the Anfield aisles at the news.

It had been widely expected that Lemar would move to north London in the summer but Arsenal failed to close out the £90million deal because of complications selling Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City.

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And although Arsene Wenger hasn’t given up hope of luring Lemar to the Emirates next month, the Indy says the 22-year-old believes a move to Merseyside is in his best interests.

Jurgen Klopp has made no secret of his determination to sign the French winger as he would provide the club with “even more attacking variety and create what may well be one of the fastest attacking line-ups in the world”.

The news of Liverpool’s likely signing of Lemar will add to the speculation that Philippe Coutinho will be moving to Barcelona in the new year.

The Spanish giants had cooled their interest in the Brazilian playmaker but with Atletico Madrid reporting them to Fifa over their recent contact with Antoine Griezmann it’s claimed that Barca will come back for Coutinho in January in the expectation Liverpool will sell the South American for an offer of around £120m.

The Daily Express even goes so far as to claim that Coutinho “has agreed a contract at Barcelona”, one which will earn him £10.6m-a-season for the next six years.

That works out at just over £200,000 a week and the Express says “the transfer could be settled within days”.