Arsenal do hold a genuine interest in Houssem Aouar this summer, but the reports from France appear to be exaggerated.

On Tuesday, Le10Sport reported that Arsenal were taking action on their interest in Houssem Aouar, making their first bid to Olympique Lyonnais for the player. They didn’t give a figure, but suggested Lyon would want €20-25m.

Le10Sport do not have a good record on Arsenal transfer news, with a long list of claims that haven’t come to fruition or have actively been proven incorrect, so we held off on covering the report.

TheAFCBell have since reported that Arsenal do hold a degree of interest in Aouar, but as suspected, talks are not advanced and haven’t reached the point of an official offer.

Arsenal are still considering their options and Aouar doesn’t appear to be a high-priority target at this stage. Mikel Arteta is clearly a fan of the player, and a move later in the window hasn’t been ruled out, but for now, the Gunners are focusing on other signings.

ESPN then added that Arsenal were considering reviving their pursuit of the player, but only once they’ve offloaded at least one more midfielder. Obviously that’s very possible, with the likes of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira set for moves.

Encouragingly, the same outlet confirm that Lyon are open to business at €25m and Aouar wouldn’t rule out a move on the basis of a lack of European football.