Arsenal 'growing less optimistic' of landing Monaco attacker

The 21-year-old winger is said to be desperate to join the Gunners and is excited to work under Arsene Wenger at the Emirates Stadium.

Bernardo Silva was the first to leave, being snapped up by Manchester City, while Tiemoue Bakayoko was confirmed by Chelsea yesterday. Speculation also continues over the futures of midfielder Fabinho and forward Kylian Mbappe - who is said to be wanted by both Arsenal and Real Madrid.

So Monaco bosses are keen to put the brake on outgoing transfers before their squad is further ripped apart.

What's more, the difficulty they face in convincing Monaco to part with Lemar could make replacing him all the more tricky, making the need to keep the Chilean even more pressing.

Lemar helped Monaco to the Ligue 1 title last season, scoring nine goals and claiming 10 assists, and former Arsenal and France winger Pires believes his countryman would be an excellent addition.

The Gunners have made a series of offers for the Frenchman over the last few weeks - all of which have been rejected by Monaco - but Arsenal had previously been confident that they could push a deal over the line at some point.

SunSport understands a long term deal on around £90,000-a-week has been agreed between the Gunners and the player's representatives.

Monaco midfielder Thomas Lemar would be a flawless fit for Arsenal, according to Gunners great Robert Pires.