Arsenal set for new Lemar bid as they add director of football
ARSENAL are expected to launch a fresh bid for Monaco’s Thomas Lemar in January — but well below the £90million they offered in August.
And the Gunners are also expected to see a director of football established at the club in the New Year.
Barcelona director Raul Sanllehi is expected to leave the Catalan club in January and sources at Barcelona, who originally thought he would join Manchester City, now believe he is close to joining Arsenal.
If he does confirm the move, Sanllehi will effectively replace transfer negotiator Dick Law. But it is the playing side which is the immediate concern at the club, with the Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil issues unresolved and Barcelona now considering making a bid for the German in January.
Barcelona’s primary objective is still Philippe Coutinho but Ozil is also in Barca’s sights and can sign with the La Liga leaders on New Year’s Day if he wishes to move for free in the summer. But Barca may accelerate the process by making a £16m bid. With both Ozil and Sanchez due to leave in the summer anyway, Arsenal are contemplating whether they can sell either or both in January at a cut price fee, while going back in for Monaco’s Lemar.
They bid £90m for Lemar in a desperate last week of the transfer window, which also saw Sanchez’s £60m move to City fall through.
Arsenal will not return to that inflated figure for Lemar as their offer was bolstered by the huge money City would have paid for Sanchez.
Since the summer, Lemar has struggled to recapture his form of last season but, crucially, the player is now said to be open to the move. The late bid and the short notice given to the player at the end of August was one of the reasons why Monaco managed to resist such a huge bid. And though the club from the principality will naturally expect Arsenal to bid that same figure again, they also will know that Lemar, who has two and a half years left on his contact, is now unlikely to attract more than that extraordinary valuation again. Monaco cannot progress in the Champions League, nor have they qualified for the Europa League, so may be more willing to negotiate.
But they will have to ensure they maintain their position in the top two in France to secure automatic qualification for next year’s Champions League.
And if Sanllehi’s arrival is confirmed it will be part of chief executive Ivan Gazidis’s remodelling of the club, with Sven Mislintat from Borussia Dortmund announced as the new chief scout, and Steve Rowley moving to a consultancy role.