Some of the Arsenal transfer rumours linking us with a summer swoop for the Olympique Lyonnais and France international forward Alexandre Lacazette are saying that the Gunners will have to fork out something like £45 million in order to sign the prolific front man but I do not think this is right.
The reasoning behind the claim is that the French club have already turned down an offer from our Premier League rivals West Ham worth €40 million and with the exchange rate the way it is after the Brexit referendum vote that is more than £33 million. Lyon are also said to rate the 25-year old very highly which is hardly surprising after he hit 27 league goals in 2014-15 and was voted the best player in Ligue 1.
He followed that up with 21 strikes in 33 league games last season to help his club secure a place in the Champions League. That may be why the West Ham offer was turned down, though, and not because it fell short. As reported by Sky Sports at the time the president of Lyon Jean-Michel Aulas revealed the bid and it’s value but also admitted that the decision about it lay with the player himself.
Aulas said, “For a sale to be made, all three parties must agree. We have refused several offers, the most important from West Ham for 40m euros and we refused it.
“It is an answer that says I want to keep him, but I’m not sure because ultimately it is he who will decide.
“I do not want on August 28, ahead of the Champions League, to find ourselves in the same situation as Monaco [who sold Anthony Martial to Manchester United last summer].”
Arsenal do have Champions League football to offer and the lure of the Premier League, so I think that Arsene Wenger only needs to convince the striker that Arsenal is for him and we should be able to get him for the same sort of money offered by West Ham. Do you think it will happen?
Bob.