Manchester United to hijack Arsenal move for Thomas Lemar?

Manchester United could potentially vie with Arsenal for the services of Thomas Lemar in the New Year. The France international was linked with a possible switch to the Emirates all summer, and he eventually decided to stay put at AS Monaco on transfer deadline day.

Arsene Wenger’s side were considering the prospect of offloading contract rebel Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City prior to the August 31st deadline, but the deal was stalled by their failure to lure Lemar from AS Monaco.

The north London club surprised everyone with a British-record £92m bid last month, but the move came to no avail after the Principality club mutually agreed with the attacker in order to prolong his stay at Stade Louis II.

Arsenal are expectant to revive their interest in the January transfer window, but according to The Mirror, they could face strong competition from Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. The Special has got plenty of wins over his nemesis over the years and he is now prepared to rival for the Gunners’ top target.

Mourinho has repeatedly stated his discontent at the failure to bring in a fresh winger to his ranks, and Lemar has emerged as an option after Ivan Perisic committed his long-term future to Inter Milan earlier in the week.

Perisic would probably have been a cheaper option for £49m with his experience, but Lemar is no slouch as he has plenty of years behind in order to progress into a world-class attacker. The 21-year-old recently shined in a 4-0 triumph for France over the Netherlands, and this appears to have captured the attention of United.

Lemar is likely to cost a similar fee of around £92m at the turn of the year, and it will be interesting to see whether United can manage a hijack from the Gunners, who have previously assured him of regular gametime.

Sanchez will have entered the final six months of his contract in the New Year, and this could potentially see them accept a knockdown price for the Chilean to push through a move for Lemar.

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