Thomas Lemar is keen on joining Arsenal but Monaco will block his departure (Picture: Getty)

Monaco have no intention of selling Arsenal target Thomas Lemar this summer with the French club’s stance is said to be ‘non-negotiable’.

Reports on Tuesday night claimed Arsenal were closing in on a deal for the France winger after talks with Monaco this week.

The Gunners placed a bid worth around £31million for the playmaker but Monaco have turned that bid down and told Arsene Wenger’s side that he is not for sale, according to the Guardian.

Lemar, for his part, is keen on moving to north London but Monaco’s stance is described as ‘non-negotiable’ in what is a serious blow to Arsenal’s transfer business.

Arsenal are interested in both Lemar and Mbappe (Picture: Getty)

The Ligue 1 Champions have already sold Bernardo Silva this summer and face the prospect of losing Timeoue Bakayoko to Chelsea and Fabinho to Manchester United.

There is strong interest across Europe for Kylian Mbappe, including from Arsenal, but Monaco have offered to increase his wages by 900% and are determined to keep the forward.

Arsenal could increase their bid for Lemar but Wenger will be wary of wasting his time on the winger and could focus instead on Lyon ace Alexandre Lacazette.

The 26-year-old is keen on leaving Lyon and made a notable change in his stance earlier this month when he insisted he would be open to joining a club outside of the Champions League.

Regardless, missing out on Lemar will come as a serious blow to Wenger – who had hoped to prove Arsenal’s potential to Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil by recruiting big names in the window.

MORE : Arsenal chasing Alexandre Lacazette, Thomas Lemar and Riyad Mahrez transfers in potential spending spree