Thomas Lemar to Arsenal boost: Monaco boss admits winger could be sold

MONACO boss Leonardo Jardim has admitted he cannot guarantee Arsenal target Thomas Lemar will be a Monaco player this season.

Monaco's president says Thomas Lemar will not be sold

Monaco have seen their Ligue 1 title-wining side torn apart this summer, losing Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy to Manchester City and Tiemoue Bakayoko to Chelsea.

Star striker Kylian Mbappe has also been linked with a big-money move away to Real Madrid and Arsenal are said to be interested in winger Thomas Lemar.

The Gunners are said to have made two bids for the 21-year-old France international, both of which have been rejected out of hand by Monaco.

However, while manager Leonardo Jardim is keen to keep hold of his remaining star players, he has admitted the club could be forced into more unwanted sales.

Thomas LemarGETTY

Monaco have admitted Thomas Lemar could leave the club

Leonardo JardimGETTY

Leonardo Jardim has admitted Monaco will struggle to keep their best players

Target Thomas Lemar's stunning Monaco highlight reel

"All the players who were important last season are important to keep for the club,” Jardim told reporters.

"But it has been shown over the years that it's not always possible to keep the players, and you know how our project works.

"So our goal is to work well with players who will stay here after the transfer window closes."

However, despite the speculation surrounding Mbappe and Lemar's futures, Jardim has admitted they are still behaving like consummate professionals.

“It's not only about him [Mbappe], all the young players who were here last year and had a great season,” Jardim added, 

“Fabinho, Lemar, Kylian, we're talking about them joining other clubs, but they stay focused.

“Of course, Fabinho and Lemar are older, they may be a bit more mature, but Kylian, even these last two days, he's been working well. 

"They know that the most important thing is the pitch."

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