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Home > Arsenal > Arsenal Looking to Tussle With PSG for the Signature of €35M Rated Brazilian Midfielder; Here is How he Could Impact The Team Next Season

Arsenal Looking to Tussle With PSG for the Signature of €35M Rated Brazilian Midfielder; Here is How he Could Impact The Team Next Season

Lucas Paqueta, Arsenal, Olympique Lyon

According to reports, Arsenal have turned their attention to Olympique Lyon’s Lucas Paqueta. They are looking for able replacements in the midfield department after Mikel Arteta expressed his wish for an overhaul in that position. Therefore, the board has started planning for the next season.

Lucas Paqueta, Arsenal
Image Obtained via Olympique Lyonnais

Edu has no intention of repeating the debacle of the winter transfer window. The club are already looking at various options, such as Napoli’s star midfielder Fabian Ruiz, Wolves’ Ruben Neves, Barcelona’s Sergi Roberto and Brazilian wonderkid Danilo. However, fresh reports suggest the addition of another name to the list, Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta.

According to Calciomercato (via The Hard Tackle), Arsenal are ready to battle Paris Saint-Germain for the signature of Lucas Paqueta. Olympique Lyon will allow the attacking midfielder to leave, only if they receive a fair offer for him.

Many Premier League clubs have kept tabs on the 24-year-old player, with PSG wanting to prize him away from their fellow French club. Thus, multiple reports have suggested that the Brazilian midfielder could leave Lyon during the summer.

Paqueta’s Stats At Lyon

Lucas Paqueta arrived at the French club from AC Milan in the summer of 2020, for a fee of €20 million (around £17 million). Since his arrival, he has established himself as a regular in the Ligue 1 side’s first-team. In less than 2 seasons with Lyon, the Brazilian has played 66 matches and has acquired 19 goals and 11 assists across all competitions.

In Ligue 1, the midfielder has scored 16 goals and 9 assists in 56 appearances (stats via WhoScored). This season so far, he has managed 7 goals and assisted 4 times in 26 league games, whereas, in 7 Europa League games, he has 2 goals and 1 assist (stats via WhoScored).

Paqueta’s underlying statistics give proof of his contribution to the Peter Bosz-led team. His “expected goals per 90 minutes” is 0.43. This number is only bettered by Moussa Dembele (0.65) and Karl Toko Ekambi (0.47), both forwards. His “expected assists per 90 minutes” is 0.18, only behind Houssem Aouar (0.22) among the current Lyon players with a minimum of five 90s played. The former Flamengo midfielder also has 29 caps with the Brazilian national team and has scored 6 times for the Selecao.

Why Arsenal Want Him?

Mikel Arteta is interested in bringing such talented attacking midfielders to the Emirates. Lucas Paqueta could be a good option in midfield, as a rotating partner for Martin Odegaard in the number 10 role. He could even feature in the Spanish manager’s much favoured 4-3-3 formation.

With Thomas Partey at the base and Odegaard on one side, the Brazilian could replace Granit Xhaka on the other side. The Swiss international has always looked more comfortable in a two-man midfield and is again linked with a move to the Italian side AS Roma.

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Arsenal should officially open talks with Lyon for Paqueta but, it will not be easy to convince the Ligue 1 club to part ways with their star midfielder. During the January transfer window, Lyon reportedly rejected Newcastle’s approach for the player. The bid from the Magpies, who eventually signed Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon, was around £34 million.

With Lucas Paqueta contracted to the club until 2025, the Gunners would have to go deep into their pockets to tussle with PSG for bringing the Brazilian to North London. Therefore, it all comes down to who among the two clubs fulfils the demands of Olympique Lyon and the player.

Stay tuned to AD Network for the Latest Arsenal Transfer Updates.

Abir Chaudhuri
A football fan who loves to write about the game.

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