The transfer of Benjamin Mendy from Monaco to Manchester City shows how Arsenal can get Thomas Lemar this summer.

Arsenal are finding it hard to convince Monaco to let Thomas Lemar leave. This is despite the Ligue 1 side letting a number of their stars go.

Bernardo Silva joined Manchester City at the start of the summer. Tiemoue Bakayoko has joined Chelsea. Benjamin Mendy has recently joined City as well. Real Madrid are edging closer to Kylian Mbappe.

Yet when it comes to Lemar, their stance has been that he is absolutely not for sale. On the surface, it seems there’s one set of rules for Arsenal and another for everyone else.

However, there’s a common theme amongst all those sales: the buying clubs simply paid Monaco what they wanted. This pointed out by the Mirror, who claim Arsenal can get Lemar if they follow City’s and Chelsea’s example.

The Gunners have reportedly bid £30m and £40m for the winger, but Monaco want something closer to £80m. Going by their other sales, there won’t be any room for negotiation. Arsenal either pay up or go away empty-handed.

This is a tricky one. Unlike City, Arsenal like to negotiate the lowest price possible for their targets. It’s an admirable stance to take, but there’s evidence it won’t work with Monaco.

The fact Lemar might want to go to the Emirates doesn’t deter Monaco at all when they know Arsenal are capable of paying a bigger price. It’ll be interesting to see how the Londoners proceed from here. Right now, it’s looking like a lost cause.