Arsenal have reportedly made an offer for Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar.
Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta is thought to be keen on adding quality to his creative midfield options ahead of the new Premier League season.
And among his reported targets is Aouar, with the 22-year-old widely recognised as one of the most promising talents in Europe.
The French youth international captained Lyon to the Champions League semi-final, where they were eventually beaten 3-0 by Bayern Munich.
His performances have attracted attention from the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal, but according to French outlet L'Equipe, it is the Gunners who have made the first move.
The report claims Arsenal made an offer of cash plus Matteo Guendouzi for the 22-year-old midfielder last week, with Arteta believed to be a big admirer of the player’s talents.
It is also claimed that it was technical director Edu who made the offer verbally over the telephone.
Aouar's displays for his boyhood club have impressed all who have watched him, including BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand.
The former Manchester United defender compared Aouar to former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri and predicted that the Lyon midfielder would join one of Europe’s biggest sides.
“He provides the creativity in that team,” Ferdinand said after Lyon's Champions League exit on Wednesday night.
“A kid so young is relied upon so much, but that says everything about him. He has imagination, vision, tactical awareness but the confidence that exudes out of him.
“Decision making, timing of the pass, he has it all.
"He reminds me a little bit of Nasri, I think he is a player can go on and join one of the top clubs in Europe.”
Having been linked with Manchester City, boss Pep Guardiola has seen Aouar's talent first hand, when the midfielder helped to knock the English side out in the quarter-finals last week.
But Guardiola has long been a fan of the player, publicly praising him during the 2018/19 season, after his side drew 2-2 with Lyon in the group stages.
"Houssem Aouar is a very good player. He is incredible," Guardiola said.
"We talk a lot about [Tanguy] Ndombele, but Aouar is also excellent. He's always very calm with the ball at his feet, with an excellent technical quality.
"Lyon really has a very good team. There are young people full of quality and I think the team is in place tactically.
"I think we can congratulate them, we have had absences tonight, but we have to congratulate them."
