Houssem Aouar looks more likely to join than Thomas Partey right now, with Lyon needing to sell and the player keen, according to David Ornstein.

David Ornstein reports for The Athletic that Arsenal are hoping to do at least one deal for either Thomas Partey or Houssem Aouar.

At the moment, Aouar looks the more likely, given Lyon’s need to sell and a good relationship between Arsenal technical director Edu and Lyon’s Juninho. The player is also ‘thought to be keen’ on the move, which helps.

However, as we know, these incomings will depend on outgoings. Ornstein names the likes of Torreira, Guendouzi and Sokratis as players to try and move on. You can probably add Mustafi, Kolasinac and maybe Elneny to the list.

But the Aouar situation is seemingly moving in the right direction, at least. Arsenal placed their first bid last week, and are preparing for a second. Even though it appears likely Lyon will turn down the second as well, negotiations are underway and ongoing.

The implicit suggestion in Jean-Michel Aulas’ insistence that Arsenal are “too far” from Aouar’s valuation is that they do have a price they’ll sell at. The player clearly isn’t off the table, it’s just finding that compromise now.