Arsenal have been handed a blow as reports in France state that Lyon have agreed a deal with Athletico Paranese for the services of midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.
L'Equipe via Get French Football News reports that the Ligue 1 side have concluded a deal with the Brazilian side for the 22-year-old, putting them on the verge of a deal.
Lyon now need to agree final contractual details with the player and meet his salary demands, which follows RMC Sport hinting that they had overcome Athletico's demand to retain some of the economic rights to the player.
The fee is believed to be around €25m and, if a deal is finalised, it would represent a significant blow for Mikel Arteta and the Gunners, who have been heavily linked with a swoop.
However, Arsenal's interest was initially said to be towards bringing Guimaraes to North London at the end of the season but was since accelerated by rival interest in the player.
Edu was reported to have met with the player's representatives in London last week to negotiate a potential deal for the young midfielder, although it seems that was unsuccessful.
Guimaraes previously responded to the links with Arsenal and Lyon.
Speaking to SporTV, as per the Metro, Guimaraes said: "What I asked my agents was that the transfer is good for me and for Athletico Paranaense.
"I know that clubs are in talks… it’s difficult to choose. They are all great teams."
