Arsenal Transfer News: Alexandre Lacazette Offer Expected Amid Latest Rumours

Arsenal will reportedly make an improved offer for Olympique Lyonnais striker Alexandre Lacazette, after the Ligue 1 club rejected the Gunners' first bid of €35 million (£29.3 million).

According to Sky Sports News HQ, Arsenal will increase their bid for the 25-year-old, with Les Gones valuing him at around £40 million.

The Sky Sports report added that Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has "repeatedly stressed" he expects Lacazette to remain at the club for the 2016-17 season.

Thus it is unlikely Lyon would be prepared to accept any offer below their £40 million valuation, and rightly so.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

As proved by Juventus' recent €90 million (£76 million) purchase of Gonzalo Higuain, top-quality strikers are at a premium in the current market, and Lacazette is one of the few theoretically available to Arsenal.

The Gunners' No. 1 forward option, Olivier Giroud, has not been effective enough to warrant leading the line for a club with designs on winning the Premier League title.

The 29-year-old Frenchman has never returned more than 16 goals in a league campaign in his four seasons at the Emirates Stadium. Compatriot Lacazette has netted 48 times in the last two Ligue 1 campaigns, per WhoScored.com.

As noted by French football writer Andrew Gibney, Lacazette is a top-class striker and would fit in well at Arsenal:

Per L'Equipe (via French football writer Jonathan Johnson), the France international also wants to depart the Parc Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain are another club interested in him:

It seems likely that, with a generous offer, Arsenal could sign Lacazette.

They would have to shell out a significant fee, though, as Lyon would not be persuaded to sell for anything less than what they believe he is worth, per Ligue 1 expert Matt Spiro:

Historically, Arsenal and manager Arsene Wenger have been unwilling to spend big, and club chief executive Ivan Gazidis recently revealed the Gunners "can't afford to outgun competitors that have far more money," per Sky Sports' Jefferson Lake.

Previously, though, Arsenal have made a big outlay to sign top-quality stars—see the £42.5 million they spent on Mesut Ozil in 2013 and the £35 million for Alexis Sanchez in 2014.

Lacazette is worth a splurge. Giroud is not the man to lead Arsenal to Premier League glory, but the Lyon man could be, as he has proved to be a lethal finisher in his homeland and could score 20 goals or more in an English top-flight season.

Such a player is vital in any side hoping to win the title, and Arsenal are short of a truly effective striker.

They need to increase their bid significantly from their initial offer to convince Lyon to sell Lacazette, but it would be a gamble worth taking.