Arsenal and West Ham United ‘in talks’ with ‘perfect’ Ligue 1 star

Arsenal and West Ham United are reportedly in talks with Lille and Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana.

The 20-year-old has enjoyed a promising first season in France after joining Les Dogues from German club Hamburg in a £6million deal last August.

Onana made 42 appearances in all competitions during his maiden campaign with Lille and helped his side reach the last 16 of the Champions League before they succumbed to 4-1 aggregate defeat against Chelsea.

His form has brought him to the attention of Gunners manager Mikel Arteta as he looks to strengthen his midfield options following the departures of Lucas Torreira and Ainsley Maitland-Miles over the summer.

However, they will face competition from London rivals West Ham and Ligue 1 club Monaco, who are looking to replace Aurelien Tchouameni after he joined Real Madrid last month.

French outlet RMC Sport have reported Arsenal have already held talks with Onana’s agents about a potential move to North London as Arteta looks to provide competition for Thomas Partey.

The Belgian star was given a glowing assessment by Hamburg’s Head of Sport Jonas Boldt following his move to Lille as he backed the midfielder to move to greater heights during his career.

He told totalfootballanalysis.com: “It was important for Amadou to have a player next to him at the beginning. But in the long term, I think he can lead a midfield as a central player.

“Overall, though, you’d certainly be well advised to use him as a box-to-box player with a more defensive midfielder behind him.

“If you put an experienced player next to him, then he will certainly be able to take on the level in France and in the Champions League.

“A French first division club that works seriously and quietly is certainly more conducive to Amadou’s next career step than a direct move to a top international club, where he may not get as much playing time.

“Therefore, it was of course also important for us to include a clause in the contract that would secure us additional income if Amadou were to be sold on. We are convinced that Amadou will be an even better player in Lille and will take the next step in his development.”

Arsenal have also been linked with a move for Leicester City star Youri Tielemans and Lens midfielder Seko Fofana in recent days.