Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Alexandre Lacazette and Petr Cech Rumours

Latest reports suggest Chelsea will offer a player-plus-cash deal in order to land Lyon marvel Alexandre Lacazette this summer, while Arsenal may already be out of the race to sign Petr Cech.

The Sun (h/t Jack De Menezes of The Independent) reports Jose Mourinho could tempt Lyon with one of their former disciples, Loic Remy, along with a cash payment of £15 million in order to finance a swap.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Following the signing of Diego Costa last summer, it was always presumed Remy would be riding second in Mourinho's pecking order, and the France international has done just that, amassing only four league starts, per WhoScored.com.

Lacazette's rise to prominence has seen him net 31 goals and lead Lyon to Ligue 1 title contention, although OptaJean attests to a decent chunk of his goals coming from spot-kicks:

Nevertheless, the 23-year-old is now inspiring as one of France's most promising forwards and is earning calls for increased playing time under France manager Didier Deschamps.

That being said, one would have to question Lacazette's motivation for switching places with Remy should he too be expected to serve as little more than cover for the former Atletico Madrid hitman, Costa.

Lacazette's thriving form at the Stade de Gerland has been largely owed to the major role with which Hubert Fournier has entrusted him, something he certainly wouldn't boast if he were to move to west London.

In any case, Robin Bairner of Goal.com says a transfer of this variety would be impossible due to the fact Lyon wouldn't be able to afford Remy's wages:

Swapping one talented French forward for a younger and arguably much more promising version sounds like sound logic on paper, but it appears there could be too many factors inhibiting the transfer.

Another option could be Hoffenheim's Roberto Firmino, with Bleacher Report's James McNicholas recently tipping the Brazilian for a Premier League move, and Chelsea could be the club to facilitate a switch:

Arsene Wenger Hints No Move for Cech

With Cech's future as a Chelsea star seemingly in tatters, Arsenal have been one of the clubs associated as a possible suitor for the out-of-favour goalkeeper, but it appears Arsene Wenger isn't looking to invest.

It was thought the Gunners could replace one of David Ospina or Wojciech Szczesny with Cech this summer, but when quizzed on the topic this week, Wenger appeared content with his current options, per Metro's Hannah Duncan.

"Not necessarily," Wenger said. "Look, I believe in the goalkeepers I have. I believe that [Wojciech] Szczesny is a very good goalkeeper and [David] Ospina has come in and done a fantastic job. You look at the numbers in the Premier League and who is top of all the goalkeepers and you will see it is Ospina."

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

Cech has made just nine appearances across all competitions since Thibaut Courtois returned to Chelsea as the outright No. 1 at Stamford Bridge last summer, and Cech could seek a move to greener pastures.

Oli Price-Bates writes for Metro that Cech's acquisition could be one of this summer's potential moves that sees the Gunners move up in the rankings as Premier League title contenders:

Wenger has something of a reputation for operating inside his club's means, however, so an outright statement to insist Arsenal have no need of an upgrade would suggest there could be no movement in between the posts.

Szczesny once held his own as Arsenal's outright first-choice goalkeeper, but injuries and the smoking controversy earlier this year has given Ospina his opportunity to prove he could be the superior choice, per Sky Sports:

Pending any more controversies or reasons to doubt his stoppers, it seems likely Wenger will indeed keep the faith in his current 'keepers and retain funds to spend elsewhere this summer.

For many at the Emirates Stadium, Cech would be an upgrade and would bring more pedigree to the position, but Wenger can be a stern figure to convince funds need to be splurged when he feels otherwise.