Thomas Lemar’s move to Arsenal looks to be off (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal have reportedly ended their pursuit of Thomas Lemar as the Monaco winger supposedly indicated he’d favour a transfer to Liverpool instead.

The 21-year-old has been the subject of much speculation this summer after starring in his club’s Ligue 1 title win last season, with reports that Arsenal made a £92million bid for him today.

This would have smashed the Gunners’ transfer record and also made Lemar the most expensive signing ever made by a Premier League club, but the deal now looks to be off.

According to Sky Sports, Arsenal look to have been rejected by the player, who was also a target for Liverpool and who had hoped instead to move to Anfield over the Emirates Stadium.

Lemar wanted to join Liverpool over the Gunners (Picture: Reuters)

It remains to be seen if Lemar can still seal a move away from Monaco before tonight’s transfer deadline, but Arsenal now look set to keep Alexis Sanchez instead.

Manchester City looked to have some renewed hope of landing the Chile international earlier today, but those hopes rested on Arsenal bringing in a replacement in time.

Due to Lemar’s uncertainty over linking up with Arsene Wenger’s side, it now looks like City have accepted that they will not be landing Sanchez today.

On the bright side, Arsenal should be keeping Alexis Sanchez (Picture: Getty)

The 28-year-old is due to be a free agent next summer when his contract expires, with a new deal with Arsenal looking highly unlikely after rejecting several offers.

Arsenal's summer transfer activity

IN...

Alexandre Lacazette (£47m from Lyon), Sead Kolasinac (Free from Schalke)

OUT...

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (£40m to Liverpool), Wojciech Szczesny (£11m to Juventus), Gabriel (£10m to Valencia), Yaya Sanogo (Free to Toulouse), Carl Jenkinson (Loan to Birmingham), Cohen Bramall (Loan to Birmingham), Emiliano Martinez (Loan to Getafe)

City were thought to be Sanchez’s preferred destination, but Arsenal now don’t expect any more business to be conducted today as the transfer deadline draws closer.

While many Arsenal fans will be delighted to keep hold of their star player for one more year, there is surely no long-term future for Sanchez at the Emirates, while Lemar’s value is only likely to rise.

As such, the Gunners face missing out on a big fee for Sanchez and paying over the odds for Lemar if he continues to perform and they renew their interest next summer.

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