Arsenal and Spurs set for transfer day deadline battle for French midfielder

Arsenal are set to battle arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, off the field as the Gunners try to complete the signing of Houssem Aouar. Till last summer, Arsenal were leading the race for Aouar and were very close to signing him but agent-related issues restricted the Gunners to sign the midfielder. Even though they announced the signing of Martin Odegaard, reports suggest Arsenal are still looking to add more additions to the squad as they go through a massive rebuild this summer. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has suggested that the Aouar deal is not completely dead and will be possible if Arsenal are able to offload some players like Willian, Lacazette, Bellerin, and Torreira.

Still, the club’s interest has cooled after signing Odegaard, which leaves their north-London rivals a chance to sign Houssem. Tottenham are among one of the many clubs which are interested in acquiring the services of the midfielder and a deal involving French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele could be well on cards.

Fabrizio Romano has claimed that both sides are equally interested in the player and could wait until the final days of the transfer window to complete or make a move for the French playmaker. Romano quoted,“It is a complicated situation on agent’s side because as they say from France, it’s true that there is some situation from agent’s side, and that’s why I would keep an eye on Aouar till the last day of the window because now still some rumours we have with Tottenham and with Arsenal.”

Is Juventus still interested in signing Aouar?

Until last season, Juventus were interested in him too, but opted Federico Chiesa instead. The 23-year-old was reportedly available for 45m last season, while French media outlet RMC have claimed that he could be available for a price cut this summer and that Lyon are keen on selling him before the transfer window shuts down.

With less than 10 days to go until the transfer window ends, it will be interesting to see how this transfer saga ends with both the North London clubs battling out for Houssem Aouar off the field.