Lyon say ‘non’
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has made it clear to Arsenal that the French club are not prepared to sell Houssem Aouar.
The 20-year-old midfielder has impressed in Ligue 1 this season and the Metro reports that his form has attracted interest from the Gunners, Liverpool and Manchester City.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But having signed a new five-year deal earlier this season, Aouar is firmly tied to Lyon and despite reports that both Arsenal and City are ready to offer £40m for the France Under-21 international Aulas is having none of it.
“The door is totally closed for our most successful hope,” said Aulas, when asked about Aouar’s future. “He has come from the academy and I think he is the future of Lyon.”
Price is high for Pepe
If Arsenal want to prise frontman Nicolas Pepe from Lille it will take €60m (£57m) according to France Football magazine.
The French club are aware of the interest from the likes of the Gunners, Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich and therefore they intend to squeeze as much as they can from one of the European powerhouses.
It’s claimed that Arsenal are “keenest” on Pepe but the asking price could deter Gunners boss Unai Emery.
Cut-price Calero
A much cheaper option is the price set by Spanish outfit Real Valladolid for the services of Fernando Calero.
They want a modest £10m for the 23-year-old centre-half and that will be sweet music to the Gunners who are looking for a replacement for Rob Holding.
The Englishman is out for the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury against Manchester United, and The Sun claims that Emery has identified Calero as the January priority.
The one obstacle to the deal going through is the interest of Borussia Dortmund and Valencia, and the Sun predicts that Arsenal will “face competition” when the transfer window opens next month.
Wonderkid watched
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal had scouts in Holland on Sunday to watch the “sensational senior debut” of Feyenoord wonderkid Orkun Kokcu.
The 17-year-old frontman was first linked to the Emirates earlier this month, and apparently the Gunners are one of a number of clubs “closely monitoring” the teenage prodigy.
They will have liked what they saw of Kokcu on Sunday, as he came off the subs’ bench to score and provide an assist in the victory over Emmen.
The Mail says that Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham are also tailing the youngster and Feyenoord could be ready to sell next month for the right price.
-
How China is battling the chikungunya virusUnder The Radar Thousands of cases of the debilitating disease have been found in the country
-
Deep thoughts: AI shows its math chopsFeature Google's Gemini is the first AI system to win gold at the International Mathematical Olympiad
-
Book reviews: 'Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji' and 'Blood Harmony: The Everly Brothers Story'Feature The surprising history of emojis and the brother duo who changed pop music
-
How do new stadiums affect football clubs?In the Spotlight Everton's decision to move its men's team out of Goodison Park could be a catalyst for vital change, but there are cautionary tales too
-
Liverpool's Anfield redemption: how did they do it?Talking Point Arne Slot's blueprint and standout player performances guide the Reds to record 20th league title
-
Where are all the English football managers?Talking Point Eddie Howe's Carabao Cup success underlines absence of homegrown coaching talent in the Premier League
-
New Trafford: can it fix Manchester United's footballing problems?Talking Point Plan for £2 billion stadium despite staff job losses and lack of success on the pitch
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
-
English football and the etiquette of leaving the stadium earlyTalking Point The belief that 'true fans stay to the end' does not always apply
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden bootfeature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
