Arsenal are reportedly within touching distance to win the race for Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon. Arsene Wenger has been chasing the French striker for quite a long period and it seems his interest in the player, at last, is paying off. The Gunners have held some initial talks with the French club and they are pretty confident of reaching a deal soon.
The Gunners have just concluded a very erratic season and unlike any other campaign, they have failed to secure a place in the UEFA Champions League. Wenger’s failure to entice a top notch player who could be the game changer seemed to have done the damage mostly and that’s why the French manager has been trying his level best to earn a deal for the striker.
Since Robin Van Persie left, there has been a dearth of proper goal poaching forward for the North Londoners. Olivier Giroud has that ability in him but he has failed to turn his potential into goals and also the lack of chances has made him a bit lacklustre in terms of composure.
Lacazette’ much-hyped move to Atletico Madrid got foiled as the Spanish giants failed to defend their transfer ban, They were supposed to sign the French striker as a replacement for Antoine Griezmann but the latter recently signed a long-term contract to end the speculation.
However, things turned interesting as Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas admitted they did receive an offer from the English club but they are hopeful that the player would not depart. “Lacazette was told he could leave.
“We now have a very nice offer from Arsenal. But for us, he will not leave.”
Lacazette has proven his worth in the Ligue 1 for the last few years and time has come for him to explore some new options. He has scored a staggering 37 times for the French club last season and if he can manage to replicate half of his goals, Arsenal would be seriously challenging for the title.
Wenger hasn’t been that manager who spends heavily on players rather he believes on his own instincts to be carry forward to the players. But for the last few seasons, he has broken the myth to spend huge sums to bring the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Granit Xhaka. Wenger needs to do something to bring back his Midas touch and Lacazette could surely help him in this pursuit.
