Arsenal give up on Lemar

Matt Morley 6 years ago 2.4k
Arsenal have given up hope of signing Thomas Lemar. AFP

Arsenal have given up on signing Monaco winger Thomas Lemar, with the Monegasque side adamant that the player will not be leaving the club this summer.

The 'Gunners' had previously been confident of doing a deal after seeing rivals Manchester City and Arsenal lure players from the Ligue 1 champions despite repeated assertions that they would not be allowed to move. However, after sanctioning moves for the likes of Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Tiemoue Bakayoko, it appears that Monaco have drawn the line there.

The creative Lemar had been Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger's first choice target as he looks to bolster the supply line to record signing Alexandre Lacazette. However, 'The Daily Mail' reports that with a move for the winger now unlikely it looks like Arsenal will not make any more signings this summer.

The club will instead switch their focus to outgoings, with Wenger hopeful of shipping out a number of high-earners.

The likes of Mathieu Debuch, Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson, Lucas Perez and Joel Campbell are all free to find new clubs and whilst there is no shortage of interest in them as players, there are a number of issues with regards to pushing through moves.

Both Watford and West Brom have been priced out of a move for Gibbs, with both the fee Arsenal are demanding and the wages that the player wants proving prohibitive, whilst Newcastle are also facing a similar situation with Perez.

Then there are the likes of Jack Wilshere and Calum Chambers, again Arsenal are prepared to let both players go but the pair are understood to be keen to stay and try to force their way into Wenger's thinking.

Despite the lack of incomings, tt could still be a busy few weeks in the transfer market for Arsenal, with the exit door potentially set to get some serious use.

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Thomas Lemar