Arsenal given hope in Lemar pursuit

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the Monaco boss said: “All the players who were important last season are important to keep for the club.

“But it has been shown over the years that it's not always possible to keep the players, and you know how our project works. So our goal is to work well with players who will stay here after the transfer window closes."

The Monegasque side have already lost Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Benjamin Mendy so far this summer and the club's vice president Vadim Vasilyev has insisted that there will be no more sales.

However, Arsenal will take encouragement from Jardim's refusal to guarantee that no more players will leave and will likely return with a fresh bid for Lemar.

Having secured the signing of Alexandre Lacazette earlier in the summer, Arsene Wenger's  attentions turned to his supply line, with Lemar at the very top of his wishlist.

Reports claim that Arsenal have already seen three offers turned down for the French international. Will they return with another? Time will tell.