Arsene Wenger confirms Arsenal bid £92m for 'complete' Thomas Lemar and says they will bid again next year

  • Arsene Wenger tells Telefoot that Arsenal are still interested in Thomas Lemar
  • The 21-year-old rejected a £92m move to the Emirates on transfer deadline day
  • Wenger confirms the club-record offer was made and also plans to make another
  • He says UEFA should scrap FFP and tips Kylian Mbappe to become the next Pele
  • Arsenal news: All the latest from the Emirates Stadium

Arsene Wenger has confirmed Arsenal launched a Premier League record €100m (£92m) bid to sign Thomas Lemar from Monaco on the final day of the transfer window.

The Gunners boss, who described the 21-year-old as a 'complete' player, also revealed the north London club are planning to renew their interest next year.

'He decided to stay at Monaco,' Wenger told Telefoot. 'Did we make a €100m offer? Yes. Are we going to make another offer? Yes.

Thomas Lemar was the subject of a €100m bid from Arsenal, but turned down the move

Arsene Wenger confirmed the club made the Premier League-record offer on deadline day

Arsene Wenger confirmed the club made the Premier League-record offer on deadline day

'He is always ready to receive the ball, he is quite complete in both defence and attack.' 


The 67-year-old also called on UEFA to scrap Financial Fair Play regulations, claiming there is little point setting rules they cannot enforce. Wenger was an advocate when the regulations came into place but is unconvinced by their lack of efficacy.

He said: 'I wanted FFP initially, but now I think it should be scrapped. You shouldn't have a rule that cannot be imposed.'

Kylian Mbappe and Neymar were both signed by PSG, leading to a UEFA investigation

Kylian Mbappe and Neymar were both signed by PSG, leading to a UEFA investigation

FFP is currently in the spotlight due to the incredible spending of PSG, who are the subject of a UEFA investigation after signing Neymar and Kylian Mbappe over the summer.

Neymar cost a world-record £198m to sign from Barcelona while Mbappe joined on an initial season-long loan with PSG agreeing to pay £166m next summer, effectively taking their summer outlay above £350m.

Regardless of whether PSG broke FFP rules to sign Mbappe, Wenger insists the former Monaco starlet could end up being well worth the astronomical sum.

He said: 'Mbappe could be the next Pele, there are no limits to how far he can go. We can already see the difference in the calls he makes [to receive the ball]. He scores but he also creates -- only the very best players can do this.' 

Lemar scored twice for France as they eased past Holland in World Cup qualifying

Lemar scored twice for France as they eased past Holland in World Cup qualifying

Wenger says Arsenal plan to return to Monaco with another offer when the window reopens

Wenger says Arsenal plan to return to Monaco with another offer when the window reopens

The Gunners were linked with a move for Mbappe before turning their attention to Lemar, but halted their pursuit in July after seeing a bid worth £50m knocked back by the Ligue 1 champions with Wenger later claiming their interest was 'dead'.

It was only in the final hours of the summer window that they rekindled their interest and finally agreed a deal with Monaco, only for the player to inform them that he was not willing to make the move. 

The financial package would have almost doubled their current transfer record (£53m for Alexandre Lacazette) and broken the Premier League's all-time record (£89m for Paul Pogba). 

His decision was also pivotal for Manchester City, who saw their £60m move for Alexis Sanchez break down as a result with Arsenal unwilling to let their star player go without a replacement. 

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