Arsenal Transfer News: Top Thomas Lemar Rumours, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Latest

Barcelona are reportedly upping the ante in their approach for Thomas Lemar and will "step up their efforts" to sign the AS Monaco midfielder ahead of Arsenal. Elsewhere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has indicated he could be open to a move away from the Gunners.

James Cambridge of the Daily Express sourced Sky Sports and said the Blaugrana see Lemar as a replacement for Neymar following his €222 million (£200 million) move to Paris Saint-Germain, putting Arsenal's pursuit in jeopardy.

Monaco rejected a £30 million Arsenal bid for Lemar in July and have given the impression they don't want to lose the player, after Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Tiemoue Bakayoko left following last season's Ligue 1 title win.

Gunners fans may rightly be concerned about going up against five-time European champions Barca in the race for the wide star, and French daily L'Equipe recently suggested that may be for good reason (via Get French Football):

Lemar, 21, scored 14 goals and recorded 17 assists in 55 total appearances for Monaco last season, per Transfermarkt, making him one of the side's most heavily involved stars in a historic campaign.

Arsenal have already spent big to recruit one Ligue 1 heavyweight in former Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette, and the Evening Standard's James Benge recently indicated some of the club's funds could be well spent on Lemar:

Manager Arsene Wenger has a lengthy transfer history with Barcelona, having lost stars such as Cesc Fabregas—a Blaugrana academy graduate—Thierry Henry, Alex Song, Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit to the Catalan club.

He'll hold out some hope of beating La Liga's heavyweights to the signature of Lemar this summer, although with money made from Neymar's sale and the need for a successor, Barca could be too strong an adversary to overcome.

Meanwhile, Arsenal utility Oxlade-Chamberlain's social media activity suggests he could be open to a summer move after liking an Instagram comment that read "he's joining Liverpool for £28 million."

Metro provided a screenshot of the activity in question amid reports of Liverpool interest—depicting his official Instagram username, "@alexoxladechamberlain"—although football reporter Layth Yousif wrote of his anticipation to see the player in action at the Emirates Stadium this term:

Oxlade-Chamberlain has found a new home under Wenger as a wing-back in recent months, a transition that could see his prominence increase this season as he offers the club options in other areas of the park.

Wenger may hope to see his player show some restraint with how he distributes his likes in future, while the Reds may consider the 23-year-old's actions as a signal of his willingness to move to Merseyside.