Arsenal and Liverpool transfer target Thomas Lemar could leave next summer, admits Monaco chief
- Monaco winger Thomas Lemar was a summer target for Liverpool and Arsenal
- Both English clubs made 'very, very high' offers but Monaco blocked the transfer
- Monaco vice president Vadim Vasilyev said the bids came too late in the window
- But Vasilyev admits there is a 'fair chance' he will leave at the end of the season
There is a 'fair chance' Thomas Lemar will leave Monaco next summer, the Principality club's vice president has admitted.
The winger told the Ligue 1 champions he wanted to move to England amid summer interest from the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool. But the Principality club blocked a move, having already sold the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Benjamin Mendy.
But Vadim Vasilyev expects clubs to renew their interest in the France international and accepts the 21-year-old could leave at the end of the season.
Thomas Lemar wanted to leave Monaco for the Premier League during last summer's window
But Monaco vice president Vadim Vasilyev has revealed that the Ligue 1 club blocked his move
'We understand that we are basically a selling club and we accept that but at the same time we are in a good financial situation so we don't have to sell and we want to keep the club competitive,' he told the Telegraph.
'This is not about making money, it's about being successful. So there is always this balance.'
Arsenal had a £92million bid accepted for the winger, while Liverpool also made a club-record £74m offer late in the window. But Lemar stayed with the Ligue 1 champions, despite making it clear he wanted to leave.
Lemar, a France international, was the subject of big-money bids from Arsenal and Liverpool
Vasilyev has revealed that although the bids they received for Lemar were 'higher than they initially expected,' the club blocked the move because they had no time to find a replacement.
'He wanted to go to the Premier League and I had a few discussions with him and I said "stay, stay, stay" but, of course, when the offers were very, very high, higher than we initially expected then we had to talk, to discuss. But in the end we were very happy,' he said.
'These offers came late, very late, in the market so once you cannot replace a player they (the offers) become even more difficult to accept.'
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