Arsenal to land Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette for club-record £44million in ‘one or two days’ says Ligue 1 side’s president
Arrival of France forward could hasten exit of international team-mate Olivier Giroud and end Gunners' pursuit of Kylian Mbappe
ARSENAL are set to land Alexandre Lacazette for a club-record £44million — according to Lyon.
The French club’s president Jean-Michel Aulas said the deal for the striker, 26, would be done in ‘one or two days’.
And he added: “The first offer transmitted by Arsenal was 45m euros. But the transfer will be on a range between 45 and 50m euros.
“Being close to 50m is something unique, and will probably be a record for Arsenal and Olympique Lyonnais as well. Traditionally, a club like Arsenal do not invest as much on a player.”
Lacazette scored 37 goals in 45 appearances last season and will give Arsenal’s frontline a major boost.
But his arrival could mean the end for Olivier Giroud at the Emirates.
The striker, 30, has been linked with Everton, West Ham and Marseille.
It may also see Arsenal cool their interest in Monaco wonderkid Kylian Mbappe.
Alexandre Lacazette factfile
- Born in Lyon on May 28, 1991
- Joined hometown club Lyon as a 12-year-old
- After an impressive youth career, made his debut in May 2010 a few weeks shy of his 19th birthday
- Started his career slowly before eventually finding his shooting boots in 2013 - in four seasons since, he has scored 113 goals in 183 matches in all competitions
- Has been named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year three seasons and was the Ligue 1 Player of the Year and top goalscorer in 2014-15 .
- Scored 37 goals in all competitions and was named in both the Ligue 1 and Europa League teams of the season in 2016-17
- Has played at every level internationally for France, including being a key member of the 2010 U19 Euro winning squad, where he scored the winning goal in the final.
- Has one goal in 11 caps for France at senior level
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And that after Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim admitted for the first time the hottest property in European football could be sold this summer.
Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are ready to spark a £120m-plus bidding war to make the striker, 18, the most expensive player in history.
Jardim had previously insisted Mbappe would not be sold this summer.
But the teenager hinted he could be ready to go when he removed any mention of Monaco from his Twitter profile.
Other players still linked to Arsenal include Mbappe’s Monaco team-mate Thomas Lemar, and Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez.