Manchester United have reportedly shifted their interest towards Alexandre Lacazette and are looking to sign the Arsenal target in a £50 million deal.
Daily Mirror are claiming that Manchester United are now looking towards Alexandre Lacazette as a potential solution to their lack of firepower upfront after suffering a setback in the pursuit of primary target Antoine Griezmann. The Lyon superstar has been touted as a primary Arsenal target for a while now.
Alexandre Lacazette is a 26-year-old French striker who has been with Olympique Lyon his entire span of his footballing career, rising up the ranks to become the leader of their attack. And the player has just mesmerised the on-lookers each and every time he takes the field with his decisiveness and prolific nature.
The potent forward has amassed a whopping 37 goals this season in just 45 appearances in all competitions – a statistic made even more impressive after adding the 5 assists he has managed to add to his name. No wonder the likes of Atletico Madrid, Arsenal and other top clubs were vying for his signature.
Atletico Madrid were supposed to be on the brink of a deal but their transfer ban has been upheld and with it, goes any chance of signing Lacazette this summer. The positive news, though, may be in the form of Griezmann, who has hinted at a possible stay with Los Rojiblancos – a proposition whose probability looked bleak at best.
Manchester United are reportedly set to make a move for £50million Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette. pic.twitter.com/e7KQKamnCC
— Football__Tweet (@Football__Tweet) June 1, 2017
Alexandre Lacazette’s last three Ligue 1 seasons:
27 goals in 2014/15
21 goals in 2015/16
28 goals in 2016/17Born goalscorer. ⚽ pic.twitter.com/osN5DMuvnT
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 2, 2017
Arsenal, on the other hand, are in dire need of a strong, pacy striker to lead the line. The Gunners have not had the right combination in a single striker so far, since the departure of Robin Van Persie. Olivier Giroud is strong but lacks pace and Danny Welbeck is the exact opposite.
Alexis Sanchez’s deployment at the front looked to have solved the problems but Wenger and Sanchez himself sees the wide position as the best one for the player, where he can dally on the ball while going at the opposition defence.
Manchester United, though, have now joined the race after a potential defeat in the pursuit of Antoine Griezmann. The Red Devils are unlikely to go into the season with Marcus Rashford as the only recognised striker in the squad and Mourinho is looking to add Lacazette to the squad in the summer.
The Red Devils are reportedly ready to make a £50 million move for the 26-year-old, a fee that could well be accepted by Lyon while the others lower than the aforementioned amount have been declined – attempts were rumoured to have been made by Arsenal and West Ham.
Manchester United have the edge of Champions League football over Arsenal, which could prove to be decisive for Lacazette, should it come down to a choice between the two clubs. However, United may just choose to go for a stop-gap solution and attempt to sign Griezmann again in January.
