Monaco president Vadim Vasilyev has admitted that Thomas Lemar wanted a move to the Premier League, with Arsenal and Liverpool the frontrunners for his signature.

Now that the transfer window is over, the veil of secrecy has been lifted a little, and some details of the more high-profile sagas are coming out. One such saga was Thomas Lemar’s proposed move to Arsenal.

A late deadline day bid of £92m ultimately ended in failure for Arsenal, with the player staying at the Stade Louis II. Monaco’s president Vadim Vasilyev admitted, however, that Lemar wanted a move to the Premier League but claimed the 21-year-old was too important to let go.

“It was not easy. Thomas wanted to go to Arsenal and to Liverpool, but we had discussions and we took a communal decision so that he could stay here,” he said, reports the Express.

“He is a very important player for us. We could not have sold him, it would have affected the entire team and the individuals.” The idea that Lemar is so important to Monaco holds little weight considering everyone else they sold during the window.

Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Kylian Mbappe were also important to Monaco’s success last season, yet they were all let go with no issue whatsoever. That said, Lemar may have decided that Monaco was the best place for him in the end.

Arsenal’s interest is well documented, but they aren’t the most attractive destination at the moment. Liverpool registered their own interest later on, but at that point the Ligue One club were looking for a ridiculous fee.

It’s unlikely that this will be the last we hear of the Lemar saga.