The summer transfer window has now closed, with Arsenal pulling off one of the standout deals on deadline day.
The Gunners triggered the release clause of Thomas Partey to cap off a relatively busy summer which saw the likes of Willian and Gabriel Magalhaes join too, and attention will now begin to turn to January.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up the latest news on possible comings and goings at the Emirates Stadium.
Monday morning's Arsenal transfer talk news roundup:
Arsenal target Houssem Aouar 'still wants Premier League move'
© Reuters
Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar still dreams of playing in the Premier League one day, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
The Frenchman was linked with a move to Arsenal all throughout the summer, but with the North London outfit's offer supposedly coming up short, Aouar remained at Lyon, where he boasts two goals and one assist in the current Ligue 1 season.
Despite failing in their summer pursuit of Aouar, Arsenal bolstered their midfield options with the signing of Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid, but Romano claims that the Gunners could still be in with a chance of landing Aouar due to his desire to play in the English top flight.
The journalist also hinted that Arsenal may divert their attention to another midfield option if a move for Aouar falls through, saying on his Here We Go podcast: "[Aouar] is in love with the Premier League, so let's see what Arsenal will decide.
"What I'm told is that Arsenal are looking to sign this kind of player. They were looking [at] Aouar, they are now considering the situation of Dominik Szoboszlai.
"The situation is that Arsenal [have been] following Szoboszlai [for] years. So, let's see what will happen next summer or January, but Arsenal are following the player."
A recent report claimed that Szoboszlai's agent has confirmed Arsenal's interest in the RB Salzburg man, who is contracted to his club until 2022, whereas Aouar's deal at Lyon will expire in 2023.
Lyon chief reveals reason for rejecting Arsenal bid for Houssem Aouar
© Reuters
Lyon general manager Vincent Ponsont has revealed that the French outfit rejected Arsenal's bid for Houssem Aouar on account of the Gunners tabling a "below market value" offer for the midfielder.
Aouar was tipped to make the move to North London all throughout the summer, but a deal could not be struck and the Frenchman remained at the Groupama Stadium.
Ponsont has now lifted the lid on Aouar's situation in the transfer window, claiming that Arsenal - who ultimately signed Thomas Partey instead - did not match Lyon's valuation of the player.
Speaking to L'Equipe, Ponsont said: "We had three big clubs for him. The first one was more for next season.
"The second one was related to the departure of a player, and with this club, we could have come to an agreement. The third club was Arsenal, who offered below the market value.
"We discussed it with the player's entourage, and together we took the decision to say no. The priority for us was clearly to keep the team competitive. For us, the market was over, but the coach told us that we were missing a lateral defender and then a central defender.
"But in the medium term, if [broadcaster] Mediapro doesn't pay and the Covid continues, it will be the same."
Aouar has since turned out in seven of Lyon's top-flight games during the 2020-21 campaign, banking two goals and one assist for Les Gones thus far.
More transfer news from Arsenal:
Los Angeles Galaxy 'interested in signing Mesut Ozil'
Los Angeles Galaxy want to sign Arsenal attacker Mesut Ozil, according to a report. Read more.
