Arsenal submit £90m bid for Thomas Lemar as Alexis Sanchez nears Manchester City transfer

Arsene Wenger claimed a move for Lemar was ‘dead’ last week but Liverpool have since entered the running for the Frenchman and Monaco have shown a willingness to sell.

Manchester City have today submitted a second bid for Sanchez – believed to be worth in the region of £60m – and are confident of signing the Chilean.

However, Arsenal won’t sign off the deal unless they have a replacement in place and have moved to secure Lemar, according to the Daily Mail.

The France international is believed to be keen on a move to the Emirates but the Gunners are in a race against the clock to get the deal done before tonight’s 11pm deadline.

The £90m transfer would shatter Alexandre Lacazette’s club record £52m move to the club and it would indicate that the Gunners are preparing to let Sanchez go.

Lemar’s arrival would take Arsenal’s spending to around £145m but would largely be offset by the departures of Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gabriel Paulista.

City are said to be optimistic that their £60m bid for Sanchez will be accepted and they’re willing to hand the Chilean wages in excess of £300,000-a-week.