Two Premier League giants will go head-to-head to sign Monaco star Thomas Lemar this summer, with Manchester City joining Liverpool in the race for the French forward.
Lemar was linked with Arsenal and Liverpool last summer but ended up staying at Monaco after batting back a number of bids.
The Gunners were said to have had a £90million offer rejected by the Ligue 1 champions but, while Monaco managed to keep him, he is expected to leave the club for the highest bidder when the transfer window reopens.
Liverpool were thought to be leading the chase, with recent reports in France claiming they are ‘close’ to agreeing a deal in principle to sign the 22-year-old in the summer.
However, according to the Daily Telegraph, mega-rich City will look to hijack the Reds’ pursuit and snap up the winger.
Manager Pep Guardiola recently revealed he is looking to make ‘only one or two signings’ in the summer transfer window.
Having run away in the Premier League title race this season, currently sitting 16 points clear at the summit, many could argue their team does not need any improvement.
But Guardiola has been eyeing another winger for some time. The Blues attempted to sign Alexis Sánchez and Riyad Mahrez in January and has also been linked with a sensational move for Chelsea ace Eden Hazard.
Chelsea, though, have insisted the Belgian star will not be sold to their rivals, so it appears Lemar is next on Pep’s list.
Lemar has two years remaining on his Monaco contract.
The youngster caught the attention of a host of top sides with a prolific campaign for Monaco last season, scoring 14 goals and claiming 17 assists.
He has been quieter this term netting only three times with eight assists, but it appears City and Liverpool have not been put off by his lack of form.