Houssem Aouar has explained where he sees his best position on the pitch, amid speculation that he could join Arsenal this summer.
The 22-year-old has long been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, but Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has indicated that the north London outfit's first offer was rejected.
"At Lyon there will be very few departures: for Houssem, Arsenal is much too far from his value," Aulas wrote on Twitter. "We count on him to make a big game in Lorient and lead OL in Champions League next year."
However, football.london understands the Gunners are ready to increase their offer to £36.5million (€40million) with a further £9million in potential add-ons (€10million) as they look to seal a deal for Mikel Arteta's dream transfer.
If Arsenal are able to get the deal over the line, manager Mikel Arteta has already been told how he could get the best from the attacking midfielder.
"The coach allows me a lot of freedom on the pitch," Aouar said in an interview last year. "Playing on the left allows me to make more of a difference individually.
"I can also change the game by playing in the middle.
"I like having this freedom a lot.
"I have a lot of fun on the wing."
Interestingly, Aouar idolised former France and Real Madrid playmaker Zinedine Zidane growing up..
"I think Zidane was the player who made me love football because of his way of playing and his behaviour," he told Players' Tribune.
Aouar's admission that he prefers to play from the left-wing does give Arteta the potential to move Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to a more cenral role if the Gunners can get a deal over the line.
With that said, the Arsenal captain has flourished from that position and the likes of Willian, Bukayo Saka and Reiss Nelson can all operate from the left.
Therefore, Aouar could be used through the middle with the freedom to create chances for Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah and company.
