Arsenal may have been issued a significant blow in the hunt for Lyon's Houssem Aouar following an admission made by his teammate.
The Gunners have been eyeing a move for the 22-year-old since the summer transfer window and he remains touted for a move due to the club's lack of creativity in midfield.
While a January swoop would be difficult to materialise, Aouar's name would likely be on the lips of Arsenal heading into the end of the season.
However, Aouar's teammate Memphis Depay has issued the Gunners with a blow after declaring the pair want to go to one of the "top three clubs" in the world.
“We know we play for a very big club but we want to go to one of the top three clubs in the world. Then you will see Houssem, he will get 10 times better. For me, it’s the same," he told Canal+ .
Even the most optimistic Arsenal fan would find it difficult to argue that Mikel Arteta's side can currently boast that stature, with the Gunners absent from the Champions League for the past three seasons and not winning a Premier League title since leaving Highbury.
That suggests that Aouar has bigger things in his sights and Arsenal may have missed their chance to secure the France ace.
The likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona could encounter the opposite effect of the comments and receive a boost - although the struggles of the Catalan club suggest they too may be in a similar boat to the Gunners.
Aouar has excelled for Lyon in Ligue 1 this season, scoring three goals and registering three assists in 13 appearances - equalling his goal tally from last year and sitting just one shy of equalling his assists record.
Lyon currently sit third in a three-way battle for the Ligue 1 crown, sitting two-points behind leaders Lille and Paris Saint-Germain.
