Thomas Lemar has emerged as one of Arsenal's main transfer targets this summer after impressing in Monaco's title-winning side last season.
While teammates Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy may have garnered more headlines, Lemar has apparently impressed Arsene Wenger with his playmaking ability and versatility in midfield.
With multiple reports claiming Arsenal could be closing in on Lemar, here are five things to know about the 21-year-old France international ...
Scores and creates
Wenger loves midfielders who can both create and score goals, and Lemar has proven he's equally adept at both. He netted 14 times in all competitions last season, and led the French league with 10 assists while setting up another four goals in the Champions League. He averaged 2.2 key passes per game in the league, the fourth highest among all players, using his left foot to create chances for teammates from all over the pitch.
Versatility
Lemar can play either as a central midfielder or on the wing, another trait that Wenger values highly. At Monaco, he excelled on the left wing of a 4-4-2 formation that allowed him to drift into the centre at will, supported by the speedy Mendy on the flank. Lemar doesn't possess top-level speed but has the ability to create space for himself with excellent footwork and uses his quick decision-making to pick out the right pass.
Bargain buy
Lemar has proven to be another brilliant buy by Monaco, who has built their recent success on snapping up young talents on the cheap and seeing them blossom into major stars (the kind of thing Wenger used to be known for). He joined the Ligue 1 club from Caen for just £3.5 million in 2015 despite scoring just one goal in 32 league appearances. Most current estimates put his transfer value at around £30m.
Spurs slayer
What better way to endear yourself to Arsenal fans than to score the winning goal against Tottenham? Lemar has already done that twice, netting Monaco's second goal in both 2-1 victories over Spurs in last season's Champions League group meetings. To make it even better, his goal in November knocked Tottenham out of the competition. If he was to keep that record up at the Emirates, he would be a fan favourite in no time.
Where would he fit in at Arsenal?
From an Arsenal point of view, Lemar could perhaps best be described as a slightly taller version of Santi Cazorla, equally proficient at starting attacks from deep inside his own half as he is at delivering the last defense-splitting pass in the final third. In Wenger's traditional 4-2-3-1 formation, Lemar could either take over Cazorla's role as the deeper-lying playmaker with a licence to roam forward or play on the left wing. If Arsenal stick with three at the back, however, he might struggle to displace Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez as one of the two attacking midfielders -- if both stay at the club.