Arsenal received the encouragement they desired from Monaco with the French champions declaring they want £53m for attacking midfielder, Thomas Lemar. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder is the latest in the line of stars who wish to leave the principality, according to the Daily Express.
Arsène Wenger is determined to land the attacking midfielder having lost out on signing him from Caen in 2015 when Monaco offered a genuine prospect of immediate first team football. Five French caps and 89 first team appearances later, and his decision proved justified. For Arsenal, it’s a costly tutorial; Monaco paid just £3.5m two years ago.
Monaco’s impressive academy and scouting network will be tested this summer if all the departures expected to happen, materialise. Lemar, Bernado Silva, Mbappe and Bakayoko; all have left or stand on the cusp of doing so, bringing in £250m in transfer fees.
For Wenger, landing the creative attacker is a vital piece of the jigsaw for 2017/18. Increasingly, it looks as if Arsenal will sell Alexis Sanchez with little sign of any inclination on the part of the Chilean to remain in north London. Lemar would be an impressive successor for the Emirates crowd while Wenger would hope he is a less troublesome player.
