Arsenal lodge improved £40m bid for Monaco star Thomas Lemar with French champions 'yet to respond'

The Gunners saw their initial bid worth around £31m rejected

Arsenal have returned to AS Monaco with a second bid for Thomas Lemar as they look to make their second signing of the week following the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette.

The Gunners are making waves in the transfer market after their club-record signing of the Frenchman from Lyon for £52m and return to Ligue 1 for Monaco’s attacking midfielder Lemar.

Arsene Wenger was knocked back in his initial bid for the Frenchman which was worth around £31m but according to L’Equipe they have gone back in with a second offer.

The offer is worth around £40m and would make Lemar the Gunners’ third-most expensive player ever after Lacazette and Mesut Ozil.

Monaco are yet to respond to the offer, giving Wenger hope of a second major signing in quick succession.

The French champions are trying to hold onto as many of their star players as possible this summer but have conceded that they will lose some of their key men.

Bernardo Silva has already left for Manchester City and the Gunners will want to complete the Lemar deal before Kylian Mbappe’s predicted transfer away from the club happens, otherwise Monaco will likely try hard to hold onto the 21-year-old.