Olympique Lyonnais will look at Matteo Guendouzi if they lose Houssem Aouar this summer, according to reports in France.

Canal Plus journalist Felix Herve (via Foot01) claims Olympique Lyonnais are looking at Matteo Guendouzi as a possible replacement for Houssem Aouar this summer.

The player is no longer part of Mikel Arteta’s plans and would welcome the Lyon project, according to the claims. However, he’d want his new club playing in Europe.

As things stand, that’s definitely not certain, as Lyon finished the curtailed season in seventh. They can still win the Champions League to qualify for the competition next season, of course.

Lille and Nice are in the Europa League places, but this could change after the French domestic cup finals. If PSG win either final, Reims will take the third spot. If PSG win both (or if they win one and Lyon win the other), Lyon and Reims will both get in.

Assuming it’s true that Lyon would consider Guendouzi as a replacement for Aouar, Arsenal may be wise to look at a swap deal between the two. The Gunners reportedly scouted him as a potential Aaron Ramsey replacement in 2018/19.

The midfielder is attracting attention from some of Europe’s top clubs, but Arsenal could certainly use his profile. He’s a talented young midfielder with plenty of goals and assists in him – 16 this season.

Aside from the goals, he’s a strong dribbler and passer who could help add that link between the defence and the attack in Arsenal’s team. A link that is currently looking a bit weak.

We’ll probably need to wait for the end of both team’s seasons before knowing whether the move is realistic.