Arsenal have emerged as the lead candidate to sign Olympique Lyonnais star Lucas Paquetá, according to UOL Esporte.
The Gunners have been on the hunt for midfield reinforcements all summer with Paquetá becoming the latest in a long list of stars to be linked with the Premier League club.
With Arsenal yet to make a bid for the €65-million-rated Brazilian, the North Londoners are thought to be set to make contact with the Lyon camp over a possible transfer for their latest midfield target.
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As per UOL Esporte’s report, initial enquiries have already been made by Arsenal, currently leading the way in negotiations for the Brazil international.
Where the Premier League club is concerned, manager Mikel Arteta has already approved the transfer for the player who holds close links to current technical director Edu Gaspar.
Across the table, the player’s camp has also reached out to Lyon to define what they deem as an acceptable starting point for negotiations.
For now, the Ligue 1 outfit are still pointing towards a fee worth £55 million, which is three times more than they paid AC Milan for the star back in September 2020.
Arsenal are keen to lower that valuation, or at the very least pay the asking price across a set of player-and-team-dependent achievement bonuses.
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The Gunners may also require the player’s help to apply pressure on Les Gones.
The same report suggests he's owed a significant pay-rise after taking a pay-cut to join from the Serie A.
Paquetá will also be keen to remain firmly in Brazil’s plans ahead of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, with Lyon’s failure to qualify for continental football obscuring his visibility.
The creative midfielder has caught the eye after nine league goals and six assists in 35 Ligue 1 appearances last season, earning him the award for Best Foreign Player in France.
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At one stage, Paris Saint-Germain were one of the clubs thought to be keeping a watchful eye on Paquetá.
But the recent dismissal of their director of football, Leonardo, has scuppered those plans, leaving Arsenal in pole position.
Prior to rejoining the Gunners, Edu was the technical coordinator at the Brazil national team between 2018 and 2019, coinciding with Paquetá’s introduction into the international fold.
Patrick Ribeiro