EXCLUSIVE
Thomas Lemar feels flattered to have caught the attention of Arsenal, but has no intention of forcing a move away from Monaco as he is happy with life at his current club, a source close to the France international has stressed.
Arsene Wenger is keen to lure the 21-year-old to Emirates Stadium as he looks to add to his options up front and tabled a €35 million (£30.7m) offer for Lemar earlier this week.
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The Ligue 1 champions are desperate to hold on to the gifted winger for at least one additional season, though, and swiftly rejected Arsenal’s offer.
Wenger is unlikely to give up on Lemar just yet, but he might face a tough task to bring in his compatriot as the attacker is ready to stay put for the foreseeable future.
Lemar joined Monaco from Caen in 2015 as part of a long-term career plan and he feels he is not finished just yet at the Stade Louis II.
Monaco could potentially lose a number of key players after their title-winning campaign, with Bernardo Silva already having joined Manchester City and Tiemoue Bakayoko set to sign for Chelsea.
But Lemar is not concerned he will be part of a weakened side in 2017-18 as they have already brought in a number of new signings, including Belgian wonderkid Youri Tielemans and young defender Jordy Gaspar.
Lemar enjoys a close relationship with head coach Leonardo Jardim and believes another season under the Portuguese would benefit his development.
Monaco have already opened talks with Lemar to reward him for his impressive performances in 2016-17 and he does not oppose the idea of signing a new and improved contract.
That is not to say a move to Arsenal is totally out of the equation, however, as he regards the Premier League side as “a mythical club” that he has always liked, while Barcelona and Bayern Munich would also be interesting options.
But, for any transfer to take place, Arsenal will have to splash the cash and meet Monaco’s valuation of the sought-after attacker.