Arsenal have the edge on rivals in their interest for Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar.

Manchester City have been linked with a move for the France under-21 star, while it has also been claimed that he turned down a move to Liverpool in the past, and Chelsea's scouts have been monitoring him closely.

But Arsenal forward, and former Lyon star, Alexandre Lacazette was an idol of Aouar's as he made his way through the Lyon ranks, and he clearly hasn't forgotten that.

"I started training with the pros two years ago," Aouar told Associated Press.

"Lyon already had a young squad at the time, not quite as young as this year, but there were still a lot of young players, players from the youth team.

"I was lucky, I got a lot of help. Alexandre Lacazette took me under his wing.

"Alex talked to me a lot, pointed out the stuff I needed to work on, notably my finishing. We worked a lot on that.

"Mapou Yanga Mbiwa was also important for me, and he still is. I talk to him a lot, and the fact you have these top players looking after you really helps."