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Wenger confirms Lemar snubbed Arsenal switch

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Thomas Lemar snubbed a Deadline Day move to the Emirates.

Aresenal made a British transfer record bid of £92m to sign the young Frenchman on deadline day earlier this week, a bid that was accepted by the French Champions Monaco. However, within a matter of hours, the news broke that the deal was off, as Lemar had rejected the move to Arsenal, preferring to move to Liverpool instead.

Speaking to beIN Sports, Arsene Wenger said:

“The player has chosen to stay in Monaco.

“You do not want to talk too much about. You have to respect what happens on the negotiation side.

“I know we live in the era of transprency but at some stage, to respect everybody you have to not talk too much about that.

“Look I cannot tell you everything that happened because after that when you decide to let a player of that calibre go, you need to replace him because nobody would understand that you let the player go and when you cannot do it.

“You keep the player and make a financial sacrifice because what you want, at the end of the day, is to have a team who has a good potential and top quality.

“That means two things: Alexis Sanchez will go, like Mesut Ozil, in the final year of his contract or you think during the season you will find a way to extend the contract or at the end of the season the players go for free.”

Lemar was reportedly a potential replacement for Alexis Sanchez, who would have subsequently have been allowed to make a £60m move to Manchester City. As it is, neither deal has gone through, and the players will remain at their clubs, until January at least.

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