AS Monaco midfielder Thomas Lemar was wanted by a plethora of clubs this summer.
The France international’s stellar form for both club and country had convinced some of the biggest clubs in Europe to fight for his signature. Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus and Liverpool are a few clubs who were reported to be keeping tabs on the 21-year-old.
Arsenal made an audacious £90 million bid for Lemar on deadline day but a deal to bring him to the Emirates never materialised. As the transfer window has closed and Lemar is looking set to stay at Monaco for at least one more season, club vice president Vadim Vasilyev has revealed the names of two clubs that the player wanted to join this summer.
“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,” said Vasilyev.
“He is a very important player for us. We could not have sold him, it would have affected the entire team and the individuals.”
This revelation contradicts what Arsene Wenger said in an interview a few days ago. Wenger stated that it was Lemar’s choice to snub Arsenal and stay put in Monaco. He also assured that the Gunners have plans to approach him once again in the January transfer window.
“Yes, we bid €100m for Lemar but the player wanted to stay in Monaco. Yes, we’ll come back in for him,” Wenger told Telefoot.
Lemar scored twice in France’s 4-0 victory over the Netherlands in their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
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