Arsenal face a tough test to try and prise Thomas Lemar away from Monaco, with Chelsea, Barcelona and Manchester City all making contact over a potential move for the winger.
The Gunners were reported to have made a £30 million offer for Lemar which was rejected by the club, and were preparing to return with a new and improved offer.
Thursday’s edition of L’Equipe reports that Arsenal are so focused on signing the France international, they are prepared to offer ‘any price’ to land him.
They also claim that their first bid in fact exceeded €40 million (£35m), not including bonuses, and they will return with an even bigger offer – though it is still not expected to be enough to convince Monaco to sell.
And another stumbling block has emerged, with three of Europe’s biggest clubs also enquiring as to Lemar’s availability after he registered a league-high 10 assists in Ligue 1 last season.
Man City, Barca and Chelsea have all requested to meet with the Monaco winger’s agent, though at least the first two clubs are not thought to consider Lemar a priority.
The biggest issue for Arsenal in any transfer battle for the 21-year-old is the absence of Champions League football, with the Gunners having failed to qualify.
It has previously been reported that Monaco had made a decision to only sell one of Tiemoue Bakayoko or Lemar, and the former is believed to have already undergone a medical at Chelsea.
That would rule out Lemar being allowed to leave the club, while there are some suggestions that he is wary of moving away from France in a World Cup year.
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