Brahim Aouar should take a large portion of the blame for the collapse of his brother Houssem’s move to Arsenal, according to a report.

Lyon's French midfielder Houssem Aouar reacts after missing a goal opportunity during the UEFA Champions League semi-final football match between Lyon and Bayern Munich at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon on August 19, 2020. (Photo by MIGUEL A. LOPES/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Lyon’s French midfielder Houssem Aouar reacts after missing a chance on August 19, 2020. (Photo by MIGUEL A. LOPES/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

ESPN report that Brahim Aouar asked Arsenal for a large commission to sign his brother. Reports in France suggest as much as £10m, though ESPN haven’t confirmed that figure, and Brahim didn’t respond to their request for comment.

It wasn’t just Arsenal. Brahim wanted the same commission from any club signing Houssem. He made negotiations sufficiently difficult that none of the likes of Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain seriously pursued a deal.

From the midfielder’s point of view, he wanted to leave this summer. Lyon ended up persuading him to stay, even though his heart was set on Arsenal.

The Gunners completed a move for one of their key midfield targets, at least, bringing in Thomas Partey. It’s just a shame the other deal fell through due to unreasonable agent fees.

Personally, I doubt we’ll see Arsenal going back for Aouar in January. The financial situation is unlikely to be significantly different in two-and-a-half months, and it’s likely we won’t have any guarantees about full fan returns to stadiums or Arsenal qualifying for European competition by then.

By next summer, who knows? It really depends on how the season goes, and whether Aouar starts seriously catching the eye in Paris and Madrid. Arsenal should probably look at plenty of alternative targets just in case.