Sources have told ESPN that Arsenal are looking to revive their search for Lyon's Houssem Ouer but will need to land at least one more midfielder before a formal offer can be made.
It is understood the 23-year-old is on the Gunners shortlist, but contrary to reports in France, he has yet to make a strong bid this summer.
This is at least partly because Arsenal are looking to make changes to their midfield choices and need to pursue existing players before pursuing other goals.
Matteo Guandouzzi has joined Marseille in an initial loan deal that is expected to be permanent, while the club are in talks to sell Granit Xaka to Roma and are also open to offers from Lucas Torreira.
Martin Odegaard will not return after his loan from Real Madrid expires, while there is uncertainty over the futures of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Joe Willock, among others.
The Gunners are in advanced talks to sign Albert Sambi Lokonga from Anderlecht - the two clubs are believed to be on the verge of agreeing a fee of around £15m plus add-ons - but no further outgoing space will help generate funds. A move to sign Aur.
Sources have told ESPN that Lyon would be willing to accept a fee in the region of €25m. It is also claimed that the Gunners could face competition from several clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and an unnamed Spanish team.
However, Aur, who has two years left on his contract, is believed to be ready to move to the Premier League and will not rule out a move to Arsenal on the grounds that they do not offer European football. can do
Auer's valuation of Lyon has dropped significantly from last year when Arsenal first expressed serious interest. The Ligue 1 side was asking for €60m but the Gunners made an offer of €35m which was rejected.
Sources told ESPN in January that Auer was surprised that Arsenal had not made a more concerted effort to sign him and was looking forward to moving to Barcelona or Real Madrid at the time.
However, it appears that interest from those clubs has yet to come at this stage and Arsenal may have an opportunity to complete a deal for a player who made 33 appearances for Lyon last season, eight goals and four assists as they missed out on the champions. League qualification finished fourth in Ligue 1, by two points.