Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed Arsenal have made an offer for Houssem Aouar - but says the Gunners' bid is nowhere near close enough to his valuation.
The OL chief also played down reports the French 22-year-old has agreed terms with the north London club in a deal worth £32million.
Aulas added that he expects Aouar to remain a Lyon player for the foreseeable future, feature against Lorient on Sunday, and be a part of the squad all season.
Aulas took to Twitter on Saturday morning to set the story straight: "At Lyon there will be very few departures: for Houssem, Arsenal is much too far from his value: we count on him to make a big game in Lorient and lead OL in Champions League next year."
This isn't the first time Aulas has spoken out about Arsenal's interest in Aouar this month.
Just last week the Lyon chief suggested the Gunners do not have the financial muscle to get the transfer over the line.
He said: "Financially, Arsenal are like everyone else [in a tricky spot]. And Houssem could say to himself that the best thing would be to stay with us."
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is keen to sign an attacking midfield player and Aouar is the first name on his transfer wishlist.
Other players the Gunners have been linked with this summer include Atletico Madrid's Thomas Partey and Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho.
* Sign up to the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and transfer gossip.
