Lyon’s precocious midfielder Houssem Aouar looks set to leave the Champions League semi-finalists this summer.
The 22-year-old, who has been heavily linked with Arsenal among a plethora of other clubs, pulled the strings for the French side as they beat Manchester City 3-1 in the competition’s last eight.
City are also believed to be interested in Aouar, as he also dazzled manager Pep Guardiola when the two clubs met in the 2018/19 Champions League group stage.
The midfielder, however, is believed to favour a move to Italian giants Juventus.
But it is Arsenal who could become the frontrunner – thanks to Edu, their technical director, who is a friend of Lyon’s sporting director Juninho Pernambucano.
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta is keen to add quality to his midfield options and, according to French outlet L’Equipe, the Gunners had made an offer of cash plus the unwanted Matteo Guendouzi for Aouar.
It also claimed that Edu was the one who made the offer verbally over the telephone in discussions with Arsenal's French counterparts.
However, Juninho reportedly rejected the offer as Lyon only want cash for Aouar, as he does not feel that the club needs to add to his midfield, even if Aouar does depart.
“There will be departures, but I am not worried,” Juninho told RMC Sport.
“When you have players who play very well in a competition like this, like Moussa (Dembele) and Houssem - we will have to show the same spirit to be back in the Champions League next season.”
Lyon have provided a conveyor belt of top talent to Europe’s best over the years, with Ferland Mendy, Nabil Fekir, Karim Benzema, Miralem Pjanic and Alexandre Lacazette all departing in recent years.
When it comes to Edu and Juninho, the duo will, no doubt, be in contact again, as Edu tries to persuade his counterpart to sell him Aouar.
Both of them are former Brazil international midfielders – the latter is three years older than the former – and both took their respective jobs at their former clubs in the summer of 2019.
It was Juninho, though, who enjoyed a much more illustrious career, scoring 75 goals in 250 league games for Lyon, where he became known as one of the best free-kick experts in the world, as well as winning 40 caps for his country.
Edu, in contrast, had a shorter time on the pitch, making only 164 appearances – including four years at Arsenal – and earning 15 caps for Brazil.
They faced each other in the final of the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship when Edu’s Corinthians beat Juninho’s Vasco da Gama 4-3 on penalties in the final.
Both left for Europe in 2001 – Edu departing Sao Paulo-based Corinthians for Arsenal, and Juninho leaving Vasco da Gama, from Rio de Janeiro, for Lyon.
The duo were also both part of Brazil’s winning team at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, where they helped their nation beat rivals Argentina 4-1 in the final, and are known to be close friends.
Now, though, they will compete off the pitch, as Edu tries to convince his former team-mate to sell him his most prized asset in Aouar.
