Arsenal will have to pay £55 million to sign Lyon’s French talisman Alexandre Lacazette in the summer
According to Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph, Arsenal have been quoted a fee of £55 million to sign Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette in the summer. An additional £10 million could be included in the deal as add-ons, and could make him the Gunners’ most expensive purchase.
Arsenal were considered as rank outsiders to land the Frenchman a month ago, as the player had his heart set on a move to Atletico Madrid, and had even agreed to personal terms with Los Rojiblancos.
The Spanish side were confident that their transfer ban would be overruled, and that they would be eligible to sign and register players in the summer. However, that did not happen, leaving Lacazette to look elsewhere.
It is understood that Lyon are keen on retaining the prolific front man, and have also put forth a lucrative deal on the table for him to sign. He has reportedly opted against putting pen to paper to a new contract, and could now be considering a move to Arsenal.
The French connection would certainly be paramount at the Emirates Stadium, as manager Arsene Wenger, along with Laurent Koscielny, Francis Coquelin and Olivier Giroud are all from the western European nation.
Under Wenger, Lacazette could take his game to the next level and establish himself as a regular for his country. The Lyon forward will certainly be an upgrade on the under-performing Olivier Giroud.
The Arsenal attacker has shown glimpses of his brilliance on occasion at the club, but his form has been extremely erratic, and he is thus, not a man Wenger can rely on the score goals every week.
Due to this, he used Alexis Sanchez has player as a centre-forward in Giroud’s stead, but that saw Arsenal crave for creativity around the 18-yard area. With Sanchez expected to stay on post the summer, he could revert to playing on the left side, with Lacazette leading the line.
The Gunners will have to complete a move swiftly or they could be priced out of a deal by rivals Manchester United, who are looking to sign a striker or two in the summer, and Lacazette is reportedly on Jose Mourinho’s transfer list.
United appear to be inching closer towards a move for Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata, and should there be an hindrance in the transfer, they could bid for Lacazette, who is available at a cheaper rate than the Spaniard.
There have also been reports suggesting that United could secure the signings of two strikers this season, and the French forward could be the man following Morata as a part of Mourinho’s summer overhaul.
