Arsenal Transfer News: Alexandre Lacazette Improved Bid Expected, Latest Rumours

Arsenal will reportedly launch a fresh bid for Lyon centre-forward Alexandre Lacazette this week. 

That’s according to L’Equipe (h/t Dipesh Agarwal of Sport Witness), which claimed the Gunners are set to return with an offer upward of €40 million (£33.5 million) for the France international. As noted by Agarwal, the Ligue 1 side issued a statement on Tuesday noting Arsenal had already had a bid rejected for Lacazette.

Lyon have also lost Samuel Umtiti this summer, and with rumours about a possible departure of Corentin Tolisso, it’s stated by L’Equipe that the door out of the club will be “double locked” for the forward.

Interest from the Gunners is understandable. Not only do they have a void that needs filling in terms of their attacking options, but Lacazette has blossomed into one of European football’s most exciting strikers, as we can see:

Indeed, he’s set to fulfil the potential he showed as an emerging talent with the Ligue 1 club.

Lacazette burst into life in 2014-15, powering Lyon in what was eventually a futile title challenge. After a testing beginning to the previous campaign, the Frenchman excelled late on, again ensuring there’d be elite-level European football at the club next season.

LOIC VENANCE/Getty Images

With 48 league goals netted in the previous two seasons, Lacazette looks to have the predatory instincts that would push Arsenal on to a new level in their attack. As we can see courtesy of Squawka Football, that’s a mark that puts him above some illustrious names:

Evidently, if Lacazette moved to the Premier League, he’d face new challenges, particularly in terms of the quality of defender up against him week-by-week and the power these players operate with. That may prevent manager Arsene Wenger from sanctioning such a massive amount of money to be spent on the forward.

It’s an area of the pitch that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency for the Gunners, though. If the club are going to part with massive money for a player this summer, it must be on a new goalscorer.

Arsenal Linked with Wissam Ben Yedder

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Should Arsenal fail in their efforts to land Lacazette they could turn their attentions to Toulouse star Wissam Ben Yedder, who has been linked with the Gunners and their north London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.

That’s according to Canal+ (h/t TalkSport), which stated Arsenal currently lead the way for the striker, who bagged 17 goals in Ligue 1 last term. Ben Yedder operated as a No. 10 and as a centre-forward in 2015-16, impressing plenty with his sharp movement and technical forward play.

Here is a look at why some of the Premier League’s biggest outfits could be in the hunt for the 25-year-old:

Ben Yedder may have led the line on many occasions for Toulouse last season, but he’s the kind of striker who can drop off the shoulder of defenders and link the play too.

Here is how he compared statistically to Lacazette and Arsenal’s main striker, Olivier Giroud, in league matches:

	Ben Yedder	Lacazette	Giroud
Apps (Sub)	34 (1)	34	26 (12)
Goals	17	21	16
Assists	5	3	6
Shots per game	2.7	3.5	2.7
Key passes per game	0.9	1.2	0.9
Dribbles per game	0.7	1.3	0.3
Aerial duels won per game	0.6	0.9	2.7

For Wenger, a striker who can knit play together along with Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla as well as spin in behind would be an asset. Additionally, while the last campaign was Ben Yedder’s best, he’s been a consistent goalscorer in France for four seasons, with 62 goals in that time.

As would be the case with any player moving from Ligue 1 to England, adapting to new surroundings would be tough. Even so, Ben Yedder is a proven finisher and would potentially be a fine alternative should a transfer for Lacazette prove too tough to secure.