Arsenal set to beat Juventus to the signing of long-time target - Reports

Arsenal are set to beat Juventus to the signing of Olympique Lyonnais star Houssem Aouar, according to Spanish outlet Todofichajes (via Juvefc.com).

Houssem Aouar has been a long-term target for both Arsenal and Juventus. The Gunners fell short of acquiring the services of the 22-year-old French international last season but are looking to sign him this time around.

According to the aforementioned source, the Frenchman is available for €35 million, which is €7 million less than the market value as reported by Transfermarkt.com. Olympique Lyonnais are in a tough financial situation at the moment and are hoping to cash in on their star midfielder in order to balance the books.

It is widely reported that Arsenal are currently leading the competition for Houssem Aouar. However, Juventus are also monitoring the situation as they are keen to overhaul their midfield this summer.

---

Arsenal are reportedly ready to reignite their interest in Houssem Aouar.https://t.co/V6EitkybRZ pic.twitter.com/zMSgAo6uzY

— Arsenal FC News (@ArsenalFC_fl) June 18, 2021

Juventus and Arsenal are in dire need of strengthening their midfield

Both Arsenal and Juventus are in desperate need of strengthening their midfield after both sides had underwhelming seasons in their respective leagues.

New Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri is looking to sell some of the fringe midfielders to make room for newer ones. However, Houssem Aouar is not the priority for Juventus. Instead, the Bianconeri are more interested in signing Sassuolo and Italy star Manuel Locatelli.

Arsenal, on the other hand, are in for a huge summer. The Gunners are looking to offload many midfielders, including the likes of Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Lucas Torreira.

Houssem Aouar has been a key player for Lyon. (Photo by Miguel A. Lopes/Pool via Getty Images)

By selling the lot, Arsenal will have free space in their squad and enough money to pay the €35 million asking price for Houssem Aouar.

However, similar to Juventus, Arsenal too have other midfielders on their shopping list. The Gunners have been linked with the likes of Guido Rodriguez and Sander Berge as potential new signings this summer.

With reports suggesting that Arsenal are in advanced talks with Lyon over the availability of Houssem Aouar, it is almost certain that Juventus will most probably not enter the race for the 22-year-old midfielder's signature.

Talks held: Arsenal negotiating transfer as Euro giants cut midfielder’s asking price to bargain £30m https://t.co/5Oe2qlqwdt

— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) June 20, 2021

---