Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly moved ahead of Arsenal in the race to sign Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar.
The 22-year-old wore the Lyon jersey for 78 minutes in their 1-0 victory at the Parc des Princes on Sunday evening, but in a few months' time the midfielder could be seen wearing the colours of the Parisian club instead.
French news outlet RMC Sport reports that the presidents of PSG, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and Lyon, Jean-Michel Aulas, had already held talks last summer about a possible transfer for Aouar but due to the coronavirus pandemic, Les Parisiens needed to sell players before they could consider reinforcing their squad.
The French champions also enquired about taking Aouar on loan with an obligation to buy in the summer of 2021, but those negotiations failed to materialise.
PSG are willing to renegotiate as early as the spring with the hope of agreeing a deal quickly before any other interested parties make their move.
The 22-year-old's current contract expires in June 2023 and Lyon understand that the midfielder's price tag will drop if he fails to agree terms on a new deal.
Aouar is closing in on 150 appearances for Lyon and he recently provided two assists on his international debut in France's 7-1 thrashing of Ukraine in October.
