Some Arsenal fans have been hoping that our transfer pursuit of the France international forward Alexandre Lacazette would be free to go ahead now that his current club Lyon have completed the signing of another striker this week, but I am afraid to say that this does not look to be the case after all.
The Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas had been trying to get Arsene Wenger to agree to the transfer of our own French striker Olivier Giroud the other way if Lacazette was going to become a Gunner, but after the French club signed the young forward Bertrand Traore from Chelsea they were still hoping to get Giroud.
Aulas has admitted that Lyon have now given up on our striker, reports the Evening Standard, but not because they do not now need him but because he knows that Arsene Wenger is not willing to sell.
So it appears that the youngster from Stamford Bridge is not seen as a replacement for Lacazette and so we still need Lyon to find a replacement for Lacazette before Arsenal can hope to seal the deal. With the pre-season training and foreign trips not far away, is this transfer hunt already dragging on too long and what should Wenger do?
Bob.