Arsenal have six days to complete their transfer business but when it comes to Houssem Aouar deadline day might be even sooner for the Gunners.
Jean-Michel Aulas told French television last night that any player not sold by Friday would not be leaving the club, leaving Arsenal even less time to secure Aouar's signature.
Of course the Gunners know from experience that the Lyon CEO's pronouncements on the transfer market are not always representative of how events will transpire. In 2017 Aulas was insistent that Alexandre Lacazette would be staying put until mere days before he joined Arsenal.
Much like Lacazette this is a pursuit that is playing out in public. News broke of an initial bid being rejected late last week with Aulas subsequently tweeting that the offer, understood to have been worth just under £32million, was some way short of what he was expecting.
Aulas subsequently told Canal Plus on Monday: "There was a timid offer. We felt like either they didn’t consider the fact that this is a player in the French national team.
"So it was not an offer that was even susceptible to making us consider a sale."
Asked to name his price he insisted it would need to be in excess of £36.4million (€40million).
Aulas public commentary on Aouar stands in marked contrast to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who is refusing to discuss the Frenchman.
"We don't have any news on new players and either with players that might leave the football club," Arteta said after last night's defeat to Liverpool. "It's a week to go, I think it's going to be really busy for other clubs because not much business has been done.
"Let's see what happens."
Meanwhile football.london revealed on Saturday that a second bid was indeed in the works, one that would take Arsenal closer to Aulas' demands. It is understood that the Gunners are prepared to offer an initial £36.4million with a further £9.1million in add-ons.
Those additional clauses and how realistic Lyon view them as being could be crucial in paving the way for this negotiation to be completed swiftly although the Gunners also need to make room for Aouar and flexibility in their finances by moving on the likes of Lucas Torreira and Shkodran Mustafi.
It helps Arsenal's cause significantly that so far no rival suitors have emerged for Aouar, who was linked with the likes of Manchester City and Juventus after lighting up the latter stages of the Champions League. Lyon are facing a potential £45million loss due to coronavirus' impact on their finances and are under pressure to sell.
Aouar's sale would certainly ease the burden. Meanwhile reports in Italy claim that OL have already secured their man to replace the 22-year-old, agreeing a deal with AC Milan for Lucas Paqueta.
That removes a further obstacle whilst others should be easily cleared by Arsenal. Personal terms for Aouar are not agreed but it would not be an issue to do so.
Similarly Aouar is said to be ready to make the switch to Arsenal, where Arteta is understood to be a huge admirer of his talents. Indeed it is since the manager gained greater control of transfers at the Emirates Stadium that the 22-year-old's prominence in the Gunners' transfer plans grew.
Time may be running out fast for Arsenal but there is reason for the Gunners to be optimistic that they will get their man in Aouar.
