Arsenal Withdraw £92M Thomas Lemar Bid Minutes After Making It

An already wild deadline day took an unexpected turn as, minutes after they submitted a £92M bid for Monaco’s 21-year-old star attacker Thomas Lemar, Arsenal reportedly withdrew the offer citing a lack of time to agree personal terms with the player and complete a deal.

Liverpool’s earlier offer of £75M is once again the highest standing bid for the player, and Jürgen Klopp’s side are believed to have a deal in place with the player and a medical team standing by to push the deal through before the deadline should a fee be agreed.

However, there is little certainty or clarity when it comes to the question of whether a fee can be agreed. There is also little certainty over whether Arsenal pulled out of the deal due to actually not having time to complete the deal or if it was because of Lemar signalling he was not open to the move.

Earlier reports claimed the player was set on moving to a club with Champions League football—or of staying at Monaco, who are currently in the Champions League. Yet for Arsenal to have got to the point of putting in a £92M bid only to minutes later withdraw it is bizarre.

Perhaps the only thing clear at this moment is that Thomas Lemar will not transfer to Arsenal today and that the London club will now hold on to Alexis Sanchez—and given how things have gone today, it would be a brave person willing to bet on even that still being a certainty in another hour.