Liverpool were in for Thomas Lemar on deadline day, according to reports in France.

Arsenal’s pursuit of Lemar, in an attempt to replace Alexis Sanchez, was widely reported by multiple media outlets. According to the reports, Arsenal eventually had a

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“Le grand soir de Lemar” – L’Équipe, Friday 1st September

£92m bid accepted for Lemar’s signature, but either the player turned down the move or it was decided that there was no time to get the deal over the line.

However, now L’Équipe are claiming that there is more to the story. According to their article on 1st September, Arsenal were part of a bidding war all day with the Merseyside club, each trying to attract the player to join their squad.

In the end, it seems that Arsenal won that battle, although they missed out on Lemar anyway, but Liverpool’s involvement in the first place is something that went under-reported on the day if it’s true.

Either way, Lemar then went on to score two goals for the France national team in what turned out to be a big day for the player. The first goal was undoubtedly a screamer, as he fired into the top corner from the edge of the box.

The second, on the other hand, just seemed to rub salt in Arsenal’s wounds. Lemar dived in ahead of Lacazette to poke home when Arsenal’s record signing was preparing to pass into an open net.