Monaco adamant Arsenal target Thomas Lemar will not be sold after third bid of £45million
Arsene Wenger is desperate to add the French midfielder to his squad for next season
MONACO are staying firm and refusing to sell Thomas Lemar to Arsenal, according to reports.
Arsene Wenger is a huge fan of the French midfielder and is desperate to add him to his squad before the start of the season.
But the Telegraph are claiming that the Ligue 1 champions are refusing to let him go despite the Gunners making a third bid of £45million.
Monaco want to keep Lemar after seeing a number of key players from their title-winning season leave for huge fees.
They believes it could help persuade Kylian Mbappe to sign a new deal amid interest from Champions League winners Real Madrid.
Los Blancos are said to be willing to pay a world-record £180m for the hottest prospect in world football.
As SunSport also revealed, 21-year-old Lemar has already agreed terms, in principle, to move to north London.
Monaco owner Vadim Vasilyev has previously been steadfast in his refusal to sell the youngster, but is having a change of heart.
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With key men Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Benjamin Mendy already sold – and Mbappe linked with a blockbuster move away – Monaco are facing a full rebuild.
Arsenal will make an improved offer in the coming days to test the resolve of the French club.
Guadeloupe-born France international Lemar scored 12 goals and added 14 assists in all competitions as Monaco shocked Paris Saint-Germain to win Ligue 1.
Leonardo Jardim’s side also reached the semi-final of the Champions League.
Lemar’s arrival would likely see Arsene Wenger break through the £100m spending barrier for the first time.
Wenger has already signed Alexandre Lacazette for a club-record £52.5m.
And he is now turning his attention to getting Alexis Sanchez to commit his future to Arsenal despite interest from PSG and Manchester City.
