Report: Chelsea join race for Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar

Arsenal and Barcelona have reportedly been joined by Chelsea in the race to land highly-rated Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar.

The 20-year-old, who rejected a move to Liverpool as a teen, has emerged as a target for a number of clubs since breaking into his hometown club's first-team ranks at the start of last season.

Aouar featured 40 times for Lyon in Ligue 1 and the Europa League in 2017-18, and he has remained a consistent presence in the opening few months of the current campaign, being used both through the middle and out on the left.

Likened in style to Philippe Coutinho, Barcelona and Arsenal have both been tipped to make a move for the France Under-21s international next year, but the Daily Mail suggests that further competition has now been provided by Chelsea.

The Blues are supposedly looking to add to their creative options and, with Pedro and Willian now the wrong side of 30, they are prepared to invest in a player for both the present and future.