According to a recent report in ESPN, both Manchester City and Chelsea are interested in Olympique Lyon central midfielder, Houssem Aouar.
The 21-year-old Aouar has highly impressed for Lyon so far this season, scoring three goals and providing four assists over his 25 Ligue 1 appearances, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.02 – enough to rank him as the side’s fourth-best performer this term.
In addition to his fine league form, the midfielder has also flourished in European competition, scoring one goal and providing three assists over his five fixtures in the Champions League, averaging an extremely impressive match rating of 7.73.
As a result of these performances, interest in the Lyon academy graduate is high, with ESPN reporting that both Manchester City and Chelsea are keen on bringing the midfielder to England this summer, who would be available for a reported figure of around £45 million.
According to the report, City view Aouar as a potential replacement for the outgoing David Silva, who is leaving Manchester City at the end of his contract – which expires this summer – after 10 years with the club.
It is also reported that Lyon are keen to ‘cash in’ on the midfielder, meaning that it is likely, should City provide the French club with a reasonable offer, they would not receive a great deal of resistance from the player’s current club.
Would you like to see Houssem Aouar join Manchester City for next season?
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TIF Thoughts…
Aouar is a player who has demonstrated a great amount of versatility, functioning from a variety of positions this season, ranging from defensive midfield, central midfield, left-wing, and even as a left-sided forward.
In addition to his ability to play in numerous positions across the midfield and attack, should City be able to acquire the services of the 21-year-old for the £45 million stated in ESPN’s report, he would also appear to be quite good value for money, as Transfermarkt currently value the player at £44.55 million.
As such, in our opinion, Aouar would be a very worthwhile addition to Manchester City’s squad, especially considering the fact that they will be without David Silva as of next season.