Arsenal and Liverpool target Thomas Lemar wants Premier League move according to reports
Top flight duo keeping tabs on Monaco star and now reports in France claim midfield ace is keen to make the move to England in January
THOMAS LEMAR is keen to make a move to the Premier League in January, according to reports.
Monaco star Lemar has been chased by top-flight giants Arsenal and Liverpool for the past year but the French club refused to sell their midfielder.
Yet that situation could be about to change with L'Equipe reporting the 20-year-old wants to make the switch to England when the transfer window opens.
News that the highly-rated playmaker is looking to leave the south of France will be greeted with huge interest at the Emirates Stadium and Anfield.
Both clubs are said to have kept in contact with the player's representatives to make sure they are up to date with his latest situation with Monaco.
Arsenal had tracked Lemar last summer only to find Monaco insistent they would not sell another of their bright young stars after Bernard Silva, Kylian Mbappe and Tiemoue Bakayoko were all offloaded.
Yet that changed on transfer deadline day in August when the Gunners had a £90million bid accepted after they reluctantly agreed to see Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City.
But there was not enough time to get the deal completed before the deadline, so the move stalled and Arsenal put a block on Sanchez's move to the Etihad.
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Liverpool had earmarked Lemar as their number one target if they lost Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona last summer.
Anfield bosses held firm despite Barca offering £146m for the Brazilian. meaning Jurgen Klopp did not follow through on his initial interest in the Frenchman.
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But the La Liga leaders are expected to return with another offer for Coutinho next month, and the playmaker is still understood to be keen to make the move to the Nou Camp.
With that in mind, Klopp has maintained a close eye on Lemar and the French international could be the man he goes for if he reluctantly concedes defeat in the battle to keep Coutinho.
Arsenal themselves are more aware than ever that Sanchez, along with Mesut Ozil, looks certain to be leaving the club when their contracts run out in the summer.
Lemar is seen as an ideal long-term replacement, and the Gunners could make their move in the coming weeks - but not at the price they were prepared to pay six months ago.
Since then, Monaco have already crashed out of the Champions League and are nine points adrift of Paris Saint-Germain the Ligue One title race.
So the Gunners believe the club are not in as strong bargaining position, with ambitions of being a European force who could keep Lemar happy a distant memory.