Arsenal's pursuit of Houssem Aouar has received a boost after the Gunners have been informed Lyon would now be willing to accept a loan deal for the midfielder.
Aouar has been on Arsenal's radar for some time, with Mikel Arteta's men lodging an official bid for the 23-year-old last summer only to see their £32m offer rejected by the Ligue 1 outfit.
This time last year, Lyon were thought to be holding out for a figure closer to their £55m valuation, but due to the nature of the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, they are now willing to accept significantly less.
The French side have actively been trying to shift the midfielder off of their wage books and have offered him to a number of sides for a cut-price fee of just £25m.
Despite this, Lyon have received no serious offers for Aouar - as a result, with the window closing in just six days, they are now willing to compromise and accept a loan deal to give themselves the best chance of flogging him before the window concludes.
According to reports in France from Get French Football News, Lyon have come to terms with the fact a loan deal could be their best bet, but will make sure an obligation to buy is included in the deal.
Aouar is attracting interest from a number of Premier League sides, with Arsenal's most fierce rivals Tottenham also in the race for his signature, alongside Liverpool and Manchester United.
The Gunners have already bolstered their ranks with another attacking midfielder as Martin Odegaard put pen to paper on a permanent deal after impressing at the Emirates during a short loan spell last term.
Arsenal were expecting to face somewhat of a midfield exodus at the beginning of the window this summer, as Granit Xhaka was expected to leave while Dani Ceballos and Odegaard returned to parent club Real Madrid.
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Odegaard has since returned while Xhaka has u-turned and extended his stay in North London despite interest from Roma.
Central midfield pairing Matteo Guendouzi and Joe Willock have both left the club on a permanent basis after the duo enjoyed loan spells at Hertha Berlin and Newcastle respectively.
Lucas Torreira is expected to join Serie A side Fiorentina on loan within the next few days as the Italian's cover all of his wages, though it remains unclear whether an obligation to buy will be inserted into his contract.
