Chelsea’s speedy move for Monaco midfielder, Tiemoue Bakayoko, means that Arsenal will most likely fail in their pursuit of Thomas Lemar this summer.
- Monaco reject Arsenal’s £31m bid for Lemar on Wednesday
- Ligue 1 side won’t allow Bakayoko and Lemar leave this summer
- Arsenal may have to choose between Mbappe and Lemar – favouring Mbappe
- Chelsea about to sign Bakayoko for £40m
According to Jason Burt from the Telegraph, Monaco said from very early on that they’re unwilling to allow both Bakayoko and Lemar to leave this summer.
Now that Bakayoko is on the edge of signing Chelsea, it makes it very unlikely that Arsenal will succeed in their £31m pursuit of Lemar.
Was told weeks ago that Monaco will not sell Bakayoko and Lemar in same window. So Chelsea's Bakayoko deal may kill Arsenal's Lemar chances
— Jason Burt (@JBurtTelegraph) June 28, 2017
The Ligue 1 side are currently overflowing with talented young players. However, this means that several of Europe’s top sides are circling, attempting to pick off the best ones.
Manchester City have already signed Bernardo Silva for £43.6m and 18-year-old Kylian Mbappe is wanted by the Gunners and Real Madrid, while Chelsea are signing 22-year-old Bakayoko, and Arsenal also want 21-year-old winger, Lemar.
Therefore, it’s understandable that Monaco are trying to prevent everyone from leaving all at once.
Having loads of money seems nice but if there’s no squad left, it doesn’t mean a lot.