Star Arsenal 'refused to pay £55m for' now heading to Saudi Arabia for £10m

A former Arsenal target who came close to joining the Gunners in a big-money deal is about to move to Saudi Arabia for a fraction of the price. Houssem Aouar was once among the hottest properties in European football but has experienced a dramatic fall from grace.

The midfielder was targeted by Arsenal four years ago off the back of a tremendous campaign, in which he helped guide Lyon to the Champions League semi-finals. However, there was a huge gap between Lyon's valuation of their man and the transfer fee Arsenal were willing to pay.

Aouar was reportedly priced at £55million by the French giants but Arsenal were reluctant to meet their demands and offered them far less. They were said to have seen two bids worth £32million and £33.5m rejected despite including Matteo Guendouzi as a makeweight.

The Algeria international is reportedly set to join Al-Ittihad in a £10m move (Image: GETTY)

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas said at the time that Arsenal's bids were 'too far from his value' despite Aouar reportedly being keen on the move. Ultimately, an agreement was never reached and the Gunners ended up signing Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid instead.

Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester City were also believed to be circling around Aouar but nothing materialised and he ended up staying at Lyon. His form quickly dropped off and he was eventually shipped to Roma on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.

The 26-year-old was unable to repay the faith shown in him by Jose Mourinho, who was in charge of Roma at the time, scoring four goals and failing to register a single assist in his only season there. He ended up making just 25 appearances in all competitions before he was deemed surplus to requirements.

Aouar is now poised to join Saudi club Al-Ittihad in a deal worth around £10m, with Roma making a quick profit on a player they signed for free just 12 months ago. According to Fabrizio Romano, the two clubs are exchanging and checking the necessary documents for a smooth and successful transfer.

It remains to be seen if Aouar will be able to revive his career in Saudi Arabia, where he will be one of several big-name European players. He still has plenty of years left in the tank at 26 years of age but the midfielder is unlikely to get another chance to join a club as big as Arsenal.