KEY POINTS

  • Arsenal is prioritizing Lyon star Houssem Aouar as its “no. 1 target” for the remaining weeks of the transfer window
  • Mikel Arteta wants Aouar as a key player in his 4-3-3 formation
  • The Gunners may have found Emiliano Martinez's replacement in Brentford's David Raya

Arsenal has made Lyon star Houssem Aouar its top target this window and is considering Brentford’s David Raya as a potential replacement for exiting goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, reports said.

The Gunners are keeping their recruitment team busy scouting for additional talents and are looking to maximize the remaining time in the current window. Now, the club has its eyes locked on the Lyon star as its priority for the coming weeks and will attempt to bring him in before the Oct. 5 summer transfer window deadline.

Sources told ESPN that Aouar is Arsenal’s “no. 1 target” at the moment, with Mikel Arteta planning to make the midfielder a key player for the upcoming season.

According to the report, Arteta hopes to put Aouar in a key role in the “4-3-3 formation” he wants to use this coming season.

The young Frenchman is expected to leave Les Gones this summer, with the Gunners being the frontrunners for the 22-year-old's signature. Insiders said that Arsenal is still ahead of the competition for Aouar despite not having the €60 million ($71 million) required for his services at the moment.

Other clubs linked to Aouar include Manchester City and Serie A champion Juventus.

Houssem Aouar in action against Bayern Munich. He is one of those players who could well now be sold by a Lyon side deprived of Champions League football in the new season
Houssem Aouar in action against Bayern Munich. He is one of those players who could well now be sold by a Lyon side deprived of Champions League football in the new season POOL / Miguel A. Lopes

Apart from Aouar, Arsenal is also liked to Brentford goalkeeper Raya. The 24-year-old caught the attention of the Gunners, who are said to be open to making him a potential replacement for exiting goalkeeper Martinez, Football.London reported.

Raya did not make an appearance for Brentford in the Championship opener with Birmingham City amid the transfer talk linking him to Arsenal.

Martinez, meanwhile, is now close to departing Emirates Stadium after Aston Villa took another step forward in his transfer move to Villa Park. Martinez is now undergoing a medical at Villa as part of the completion of his £20 million ($26 million) transfer, BBC Sport reported.

The 28-year-old’s Arsenal exit gradually progressed this summer despite being part of the English club’s FA Cup Final win over Chelsea last season. Martinez eventually became a surplus player and is now poised to leave the club after Arteta decided that Bernd Leno would be his first choice for this term.

The Argentine will be Villa's third recruit of the summer after the completion of club-record signing striker Ollie Watkins joined from Brentford and right-back Matty Cash arrived from Nottingham Forest.

RELATED STORIES