Chelsea join Arsenal and Liverpool in race to sign Thomas Lemar

The future of Thomas Lemar is discussed in The Daily Mirror, which reports that not only will Arsenal and Liverpool both make renewed attempts to sign the French midfielder next month, so will Chelsea.

Despite last night’s win away at Huddersfield, the Blues are still way off the Premier League pace this season and manager Antonio Conte is planning a makeover for his squad in the January transfer window in an attempt to ensure a top four finish come May.

French sports daily L’Equipe says the Blues are set to “enter the auction for the Monaco star” as soon as January’s transfer window opens.

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Lemar was the subject of frenzied bidding by both Liverpool and Arsenal in August, reports the Mirror, with Jurgen Klopp tabling a €90million (£79.5m) in the summer, followed by a bid of €100m (£88.3m) from the Gunners.

Neither was successful, however, with Lemar opting against a move to the Emirates at the 11th hour. That prevented the sale of Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City, but with the Sky Blues ready to make another offer for the Arsenal striker in January, Wenger is believed to have re-established contact with Monaco about the transfer of the 22-year-old Lemar.

Last season’s French champions are nine points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 and L’Equipe claims Lemar has decided the time is right to broaden his horizon, with a move to the Premier League beckoning.

The player, who joined Monaco from Caen in a £3m deal two years ago, is contracted to the French club until 2020 and it’s expected they won’t entertain offers below €100m (£88m).