According to reports in Brazil, Arsenal are said to be in pole position to sign Olympique Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta this summer. The North London side have already begun talks over a potential deal to sign the Brazilian in this transfer window.

The Gunners are on a roll in the ongoing transfer window, and it seems like they are not done yet. After the arrival of a midfielder, goalkeeper, winger and forward, the club are now aiming to get another midfielder who can play in a 4-3-3 system. And this search for a midfielder has led the club to target the Lyon midfielder.

Arsenal, unlike in this year’s winter transfer window, have not wasted any time in signing reinforcements for the squad. This summer, the club have announced the signings of Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos and Gabriel Jesus, as well as the arrival of Matt Turner, for whom they had already agreed on a deal in January.

However, the board have no plans to stop just yet with manager Mikel Arteta pushing to sign a number eight for his midfield. Many different reports since the winter transfer window had indicated the Gunners’ fondness towards Paqueta and this has again been confirmed by the latest reports.

According to UOL Esporte (via Daily Cannon), Arsenal have initiated talks with Olympique Lyon to sign Lucas Paqueta. The report mentioned that the Londoners are the favourite candidates to land the 24-year-old midfielder.

It added that the Gunners could place an official bid in the coming days, with the French side expecting at least £50.6 million (€60 million). Arsenal will try to negotiate to bring down the figure or to pay some part in bonuses. However, they are in a hurry to finish off the business due to less competition and ample time left in the window.

Lucas Paqueta update

I spoke this afternoon with his agent, Eduardo Uram. As of now, Arsenal have not made any official offers to sign Paqueta.

The player and his camp are waiting patiently to see what happens in coming weeks. Door open for him to leave Lyon. pic.twitter.com/m4sQN9S95l

— Freddie Paxton (@Freddie_Paxton) July 10, 2022

Apart from this, two more sources in Brazil have supported Paqueta’s exit from Lyon. Goal Brazil reported the interest from Arsenal, adding that technical director Edu Gaspar has already held talks with the player’s representatives and are looking to finalise a deal before the season begins.

Now, the latest reports in France state that the Ligue 1 club might lower down their asking price for the Brazilian. As reported by French publication MediaFoot (via The Mirror), Olympique Lyon could be willing to sell Lucas Paqueta for just a fee of around €40million (£34million), which comes as a huge boost for Arsena.

Lyon are ready to do business with Arsenal and are reportedly willing to slash the fee for Lucas Paqueta down to just €40m (£34m) with the player said to be keen on the move Via – [@Mediafoot_OM / @Football_LDN / @MirrorFootball] pic.twitter.com/BmwxmVj5lw

— AFCTim (@timodaddy) July 20, 2022

Lucas Paqueta arrived at Lyon from Milan in the summer of 2020, for around £17 million. In two seasons, the 24-year-old has made 78 appearances for the club and has 21 goals and 13 assists (stats via transfermarkt).

Last season, the midfielder had 35 league appearances, scoring nine goals and six assists. His contract with the Ligue 1 club runs till 2025. He also has 33 caps with the Brazilian national team and has won the Copa America in 2019.

Charles Watts, the Arsenal correspondent for Goal, has mentioned on his YouTube channel that people close to Paqueta know about the North London side’s interest. They are now waiting for the club to submit a bid to start the transfer process. He has also suggested that the midfeidler will be a perfect fit as the left-sided number eight in a 4-3-3.

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If the Gunners do finalise this transfer, it will undoubtedly benefit their team a lot. However, since Paqueta’s contract is until 2025, Lyon can demand a high transfer fee from the club. But the North Londoners can use the player’s desire for new pastures to their advantage.

Arteta already have Martin Odegaard and Vieira to fill up the right-sided number eight position, along with Thomas Partey in the midfield pivot, and the Olympique Lyon midfielder could be that missing piece of the puzzle that take Arsenal to the next level.

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