Arsenal are interested in signing Lyon attacking midfielder Lucas Paqeuta as they look to strengthen their options going forward ahead of next season.

What's the story?

According to a report from GOAL, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has revealed that there are proposals on the table for the player with Arsenal among several clubs that are interested in signing him.

He didn't confirm which clubs had made offers but admitted that the player may decide that it is time for him to move on and experience something new.

Arteta is said to be in the market for more attacking quality this summer so it's not surprising that the Gunners are linked. They may, however, have to pay around £58m to secure his services.

He's better than Odegaard

One midfielder that the Brazilian would be competing with for a spot in the team is Martin Odegaard. The Norweigan joined Arsenal permanently last summer from Real Madrid following a successful loan spell at the Emirates Stadium.

He's been a key player for Arteta and despite having seemingly been around for a long time is still only 23-years-old. Bringing in a player like Paqueta would provide strong competition that could get the best out of Odegaard.

However, the Brazil international has already proven to be a better option and if signed by technical director, Edu, could well displace him soon.

He directly contributed to 15 goals in Ligue 1 last season whereas the Norweigan was involved in 11. The Lyon midfielder also had 0.47 goal-creating actions to his name last season compared with Odegaard's 0.39.

If he could replicate those numbers in the Premier League then it would be a worthy investment for the Gunners, with the midfielder previously described by Peter Bosz as "extraordinary".

Arsenal want to push to get into the top four next season, and Arteta thinks that they need better quality players who can create more, Paqueta can do just that so they should move for him now before it's too late.

Lyon failed to qualify for any Europe competition last season, so it makes a move to London even more attractive - but if a club in the Champions League makes an offer then he might choose them over the Gunners.

IN other news: Bid made: Arsenal submit offer for "special" £18m-rated gem, he could be Tavares 2.0...