Arsenal’s interest in Thomas Lemar continues with the club working hard to bring the Frenchman to North London.
Links to him have been persistent over the last little while, and an initial bid of €40m was rejected by the Ligue 1 side. It’s believed a second bid of €45m has been knocked back with Monaco holding out for more money.
Speaking today on a BBC Sport Facebook Live broadcast, David Ornstein confirmed that the Gunners have not given up.
“The club are still interested in signing Thomas Lemar, the Monaco winger,” he said.
“It may be dependent on who else leaves Monaco with Bakayoko coming in at Chelsea and Mendy possibly at Manchester City but Arsenal are still in the hunt for Thomas Lemar.”
There were other snippets from David too, who continued, “They do still want to make more signings. Those will probably be determined by outgoings.
“Who could those outgoings be? Well Lucas Perez is likely to leave. Olivier Giroud too the rumours around him are still swirling despite Arsene Wenger says he wants to keep him.
“Will Alexis Sanchez go? That’s the big question of the summer and it’s certainly one that hasn’t been settled yet.”
Meanwhile, a little earlier on we got an email here from Shaun who had this to say:
“Hey mate, I’ve just come back from a pretty big 5 hours at the Sydney fan party, will never forget. I know it’s obvious we are going for Lemar, but one of the fans close in to Gazidis asked him to ‘Hurry up and sign Lemar already!’. A bit of tongue-in-cheek I thought, didn’t expect a reply. Funny enough, verbatim, he replied ‘Believe me, we are trying extremely hard to get him through’. Again, I know our intent is obvious, but that was straight from the CEO on the transfer status. Cheers.”
So, straight from the horse’s mouth, with his fetlocks flowing in the wind. Lovely.
So, no change then.
Just as long as it’s just a question of money we still have a chance.
I dunno. The chairman said specifically no more than two players out. And as Silva has gone and Bakayoko and Mendy both seem deep into negotiations for moves away, I’d imagine he’d be putting his foot down. But here’s to hoping. Looks like a wonderful player.
I’m with you. Monaco do still need some players in their team! Name a Champions League eligible, title-winning club who sold four or more of their biggest players in one transfer window…
What am I missing here?
I think it’s certainly Monaco’s preference to hold on to the player, but it’s reported that he’s open for a move. Whilst obviously a club is perfectly entitled to hold a player to his contract, there are ways for the player to make the situation awkward for the club if he chooses.
I guess it depends how likely he is to agitate for a move.
Tbf mate, Jardim has previously said that he accepts the Monaco business model. Which I take as developing youngsters and selling for lots of dough. They can spare us Lemar ??
Happened to Porto and Monaco the last time they had a good CL run…
And we say that we don’t want to loose any players, in the end we will, it is all about sending messages to suitors, in Monacos case the message behind the lines being: it would take serious money to sell more players, we have cashed in well enough already.
Monaco have the benefit of not being a PL team, so if he raids the other French teams with all this money he’s getting from PL teams then they won’t be charged the 300% PL tax that he and every other continental team wants from PL clubs.
He could end up with a very strong team (for their league) although maybe a little weaker as a CL team.
Plus he’d have loads in the bank (which they need as they get sod all money from their small gate/attendance).
Sounds positive. Even if we dont end up with Lemar hopefully we will get somebody else.
Frankly, I don’t think this is happening. I’d love to be proven wrong, but Monaco have sold a bunch players and they’re saying quite publicly that no one else is leaving. They want to keep Mbappe and Lemar’s presence will help. And Arsenal, as we know, will not give them an offer they can’t refuse.
Remember the year when they sold Martial and the other fullback after selling loads of other players and saying those two were not for sale? Monaco are a bit different.
It’s all looking positive this summer on the transfer point of view. You can feel the ambition to buy and the determination to keep our stars. I remain optimistic about the future.
I’m giving a thumbs down to the two people who thumbed this comment down – why?!
No pleasing some people
That’s just what Jesus said, sir
Was that when they crucified him?
It’s a quote from the Life of Brian…
Really want to see this happen! We finally broke a stubborn Lyon, so let’s see what we make Monaco do!
Image we really bring in Lemar AND Mbapppe. Then I really don’t care who will leave. A front three of these 2 with Lacazette would let me forget about Alexis and the Ox pretty quickly.
It’ll be pretty awesome as long as we don’t sell Alexis to a direct rival.
I know this won’t be a very popular option but if has agreed that he’ll go there, id rather sell him to them for 50 Mio than lose him for free. Especially if you’re able to get in proper replacements, which a front three of the above mentioned would certainly are. If he’s sign a new contract I’d would be awesome obviously but i don’t see that happening.
We should keep Sanchez even if it means losing him for free, considering 50 million gets you Kyle Walker these days.
Yes, just to repeat that for those who can’t quite compute that news. Kyle fucking Walker for 50 million English pounds. Isn’t he the guy who regularly runs the ball out of play?
Fuck me, it’s a sick world.
walker costs 5m. his home grown status costs 45m.
Carl Jenkinson should cost 75 million pounds at least, NO?
Kyle Frickin’ Walker, this isn’t sinking in!
Lol you need to take read the situation on context. Pep is desperate for a RB, after Dani Alves sorry he rejected Pep for PSG, you can tell hes frustrated. Taking Walker out of Tottenham will cost the spurs (like walker or not), replacing a full back is never easy especially integrating it to ur squad
Man City is despo and long may their trophyless haul continue!
Can’t see us getting Mbappe now that Lacazette is in the bag. I mean, the odds were slim in the first place
I think we still can get M’bappe. Monaco won’t let him go to Paris. Madrid have Bale,Ronaldo,Benzema and Co. which means little playing time plus there will be a huge pressure there to deliver trophies and that leaves us as the only option.
A 130 million bid is generous. If we sell Giroud for around 30 million then we can balance the budget.
Right now we are playing the waiting game with Lemar, M’bappe or whoever it is. We have made initial bids. Now it’s down to how much the player wants to come.
What about that lovely chap who goes by the name Özil? He’s pure class!
Depending on the system that lovely chap can either play behind them or needs to show that he’s better than at least one of them in terms of productivity. Lacazette, Lemar and Mbappe can all deliver assists too but they all have scored more goals than him last season.
And I don’t think we’re out of the Mbappe chase at all. Think he’s such a class player that Wenger would bring him in whenever he’s got the chance to and would therefore sell Welbeck or Walcott or both of them.
hoping we sign him so when he shoots from distance the commentator can say “it’s Lemar from afar.”
still one of simon amstell’s best ever bits
so we not picking up the Father Ted reference no?
This is either a replacement signing for Cazorla or we can kiss Alexis goodbye.
Wat.
Showers of sugar lumps for Ivan should he make it happen?
We’d have to take him to the horse dentist after though!
Then ride him over fences?
On second thought…
Jesus, don’t report what the CEO says at a party.
“Believe me, we are trying extremely hard to get him through”
Go on, Gaz. Make it happen!
Imagine after #Lacanewsigning comes #Lemarsenal! Come on, GET IN!
Ivan Gazidis also said that he wanted us to compete with the likes of Bayern Munich and that hasn’t happened yet, so I would take everything he says with a bucket of salt…
47m for Bernardo Silva, 54m for Walker, 50m more Benjamin Mendy, 35m for Ederson?Almost 185m pounds used up by city, will they still pay 80m for Alexis? I highly doubt that.
They might pay 100 million for John Terry.
The Mancs, who are you kidding. This is a team which paid money for that lump MANGALA.
Well if we get lemar BEFORE chav and scum city put in their bids for other players perhaps chav and or scum city will be the ones to be told to jog on by Monaco?
Let’s just wait and see. Maybe this won’t happen this summer but it might next year, which perhaps wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world as there isn’t an obvious space for him in the team (unless we switch to 4-2-3-1).
Or Alexis leaves
There is an obvious place for him in the team, seeing as we can’t count on Ramsey to play 30+ games a season, Cazorla’s in an even worse position, and our midfield options beyond that are quite underwhelming. If Wenger intends on playing him more centrally (as a few journalists have suggested) then this signing could end up being every bit as important as Lacazette.
I can’t claim to have watched him that much but I’ve never heard of him playing in a midfield 2 in a 3-4-3 before. Its a really, really big ask to make him our first choice there, especially as its going to take him time to get used to the physicality of the league. He’s an option there, sure, but I really wouldn’t call it his ‘obvious place’ in our team. Not meaning to sound pedantic.
He’s good friends with Lacazette. City need defenders so I’m sure they’ll prioritise one over an attacker. Having Laca, Sanchez and Lemar would be awesome. I’m holding back on watching YouTube videos until we sign him.
well, they did just buy Kyle Walker for 50m… which is crazy.
So City still need a new RB then…
Hopefully a Theo replacement that then triggers a chain of events that involves Mbappe following his mate through the Emirates stadium door for a world record fee, which then convinces Alexis+Ozil we mean business prompting them to sign new deals on the eve of the PL season.
If we sign Lemar, I’ll shower Gazidis with sugar lumps
Mbappe just ain’t happening. Go full tilt for Lemar before other clubs switch their attention to him. Do it now.
Just make it happen Arsene Stan DICK.
How about we let Sanchez go to Monaco as part of the deal to get lemar and/or mbappe? Only if Sanchez does want to go of course!!
Is Gazidis seriously getting stuck into a five-hour party?
Tell me he’s wandering around the gaff trying to find his baccy, clutching at the giant carrier bag full of Tyskies he just picked up at a Shell service station and texting his third reserve dealer to see if he can pick up any ket.
It’s not often I do a genuine lol on message boards. But this one made me. Thanks
Superb
So.. More of the exact same. You’re not meant to go into hibernation over the summer but it feels like the right thing to do.
I didn’t know Gazidis could speak without cue cards.
Course he can…Kronke taught him.
They will be more and more reluctant to sell the more players leave for other clubs. Lets make it difficult for those other bastards by just paying up for Lemar and getting it done now!
The feckless optimist in me sees this as not just another quality addition, but also signing one of Mbappes close teammates…..
Always love a report from Oorrrnnnnnsteein!
This is all turning into a bit of a saga. If we do sign him though, where will he play? We couldn’t really carry on with the three at the back as that requires wingbacks, which Lemar is not. Also anyone know if the Wilshere to Sampdoria stories have any credence? I would really like to see Wilshere stay on and fight for his place (as he should have done last season) but if we do sell him on a buy back clause is surely a must. I always hoped he would be here for the long haul so will… Read more »
Not trying to be snarky but how reliable is Shaun? Do we have anyone to confirm Gazidis said that?
As he mentions giroud and Perez leaving that leaves us with welbz and lacazette as out and out strikers…
Possibly still in for mbappe? Or if its a ‘merry go round’ situation and he’s off to Madrid, would they then sell us morata on the relatively cheap?
Apologies for wrong spelling of Kroenke, predictive text and all that.
Monaco probably say that to try and extract as much as possible from the buyer. Fact is, if those players want to leave Monaco have to sell really. No point in keeping unhappy players and all that. I’m sure most of those boys want to go onto bigger clubs in bigger leagues, so wouldn’t be surprised if they all leave
But most of us fans insist we don’t have to sell Alexis or others (and they’re right). Let’s not be hypocrites. Monaco don’t have to sell.
Come on mate, do I really need to explain the obvious difference? We don’t have to sell because we may be prepared to let alexis go for free in a year. No way Monaco take the same stance, they don’t have anything like the kind of revenue we do. See, I told you it was obvious
get lemar for 50-60m just do it! once he leaves, and mendy leaves, and bakayoko leaves, and silva has left, all we need to do is send 2 tapes to mbappe’s house- Leicester 2015/2016, and Leicester 2016/2017. that would be enough to convince him to leave. and then we go on to sign Mbappe for 120m. sell perez for 10m sell giroud for 25m sell alexis for 60-70m (cant help it, but we gotta do what we gotta do if he doesnt Sign Da Thing SDT) please sell theo for 30m (dreaming here) and then france goes on to win… Read more »
I will be a happy man if we succeed in signing Lemar. We are hungry for trophies and we need players of his caliber to get them for us.
At the same fan party winger channelled his inner winehouse and karaoke’d this:
They tried to make me go for Riyad
I said, no, no, no
Yes, When Alex is back
And says he wants to go, I’ll say I know, know, know
I ain’t got the time
And if Ivan thinks I’m fine
He’s tried to make me go to Riyad
I want Thommo,Thommo, thommo
I’d rather be at home with a Ray (parlour)
I ain’t got seventy days
‘Cause there’s nothing, there’s nothing you can teach me
That I can’t learn from M bap pay
#SHAUNTK
I mean for the current price, may as well get Mahrez. That I am sure is dependent on Leicester but I can’t see how they will not take the money to rebuild, it will be a colossal mistake on their part. That said, Lemar has a magic left peg. Looks like above all else Wenger wants a bit of efficiency. Lacazette is an efficient player as is Lemar over technical genius. The issue at Monaco of course being the fact that they are selling off a number of assets. This may go down to the wire as both seller and… Read more »
I do think Arsenal is really trying to get him, but certainly seems that Monaco doesn’t want to sell him this Summer. Isn’t it interesting how Monaco can develop all of these young players that they sell for obscene sums of money while few other clubs (especially the big ones like Arsenal) have been able to come anywhere close to developing such highly sought after young players.
English talent is not so readily available. The French have some amazing youngsters. Wouldn’t be surprised if they dominate over the next decade internationally
Since wenger doesn’t have plans for perez he can use perez to bargain for lemar. Monaco is trying to avoid a huge sell out an incoming experienced forward could help pacify them.
This may sound like a silly question but is there anything wrong with going for Mahrez since he is keen to come..why can’t we have both? …will the club go in to administration if we end up with both?.. Ok I confess I have seen more of Mahrez than lemar but tbh when I watched Monaco it was Mbappe Mendy Silva and Bakayoko that caught my eye…lemar looked a good player but seemed out of depth against a tough juve defence.. If you asked me who we should’ve gone for that would really have made a difference to our team… Read more »
we must sign him he is a very good player
Lemar looks good footballer, hope we get ‘im – but his band was bloody awful : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsjzcT1QKYs
They are really really really working Hard!