Edu can complete a stunning £40.4m summer transfer masterstroke at Arsenal to sign Houssem Aouar

It wouldn't be an Arsenal summer transfer window if they weren't linked with a move for Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar, and there may not be a better chance to finally get a deal over the line.

The Frenchman was heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium before the 2020/21 season got underway, but the Gunners were eventually priced out of a deal as reports claimed that Lyon were demanding a £53million transfer fee but after splashing out £45million to sign Thomas Partey on deadline day, Arsenal didn't have the cash to sign Aouar too.

Then last summer in what could have been a potential boost for the north London outfit, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas' stance appeared to have softened as L'Equipe claimed that a bid between £22million-£25million would have been enough to secure the playmaker's signature.

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Interestingly, a few weeks later The Sun then claimed the asking price was even lower with Lyon willing to accept as little as €20million (£17million). Fast forward to the present day and the 23-year-old's valuation has dropped even further if reports coming out of France are to be believed as Foot Mercato claim he could cost as little as £12.6m.

That is a considerable drop from what Aulas was previously demanding. If Arsenal wish to revisit a deal for Aouar then technical director Edu could seal a transfer masterstroke by saving around £40.4million based on the midfielder's initial asking price in the summer of 2020 to boost Mikel Arteta's first-team squad.

Whilst the Gunners are indeed on the market for a central midfielder amid links to Leicester City's Youri Tielemans, it has been reported that they are