Houssem Aouar Becomes Arsenal's Transfer Priority

Lyon's Houssem Aouar is now Arsenal's top transfer target this window, with Mikel Arteta desperate to add a creative midfielder to his side.

The young Frenchman is expected to leave Les Gones this window, and the Gunners hold a keen interest in the midfielder.

And according to ESPN, Arsenal are the frontrunners for Aouar's signature. The Gunners are the only side who have shown a strong interest in the young Frenchman, as other linked clubs - including Manchester City and Juventus - are looking to strengthen in different areas.

Arteta eventually plans to employ a 4-3-3 formation at Arsenal and believes he can build a team around the talented 22-year-old. The problem for Arteta is that Aouar won't come cheap as Lyon want €60 million for him - a fee that Arsenal cannot afford without selling other players first.

Arteta is desperate to bring in more creative players, but also wants to get rid of those who are not committed to the process. Achieving this is proving to be extremely difficult, particularly as the club have already struggled to sell Mesut Özil and Matteo Guendouzi.

Guendouzi was offered to Lyon as part of a potential exchange deal for Aouar, but the French club dismissed the offer as he is not someone they are interested in. Meanwhile, Özil looks set to see out his massive £350,000-a-week contract, causing huge problems for Arsenal as they aim to rebalance their wage structure.

Alexandre Lacazette could also be sold to create funds and ESPN state that he is expected to seek clarification over his role in the current Arsenal set up. Eddie Nketiah started the majority of Premier League games towards the end of last season and there is now growing speculation that the club will allow Lacazette to leave for around £40m this summer.

However, Arteta wants to keep Lacazette, and the Frenchman has recently said he intends to stay at Arsenal. But the Spaniard knows that sacrifices have to be made before he can bring in any more potential targets.