Arsenal are reportedly still interested in Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette and will make an improved offer to the Ligue 1 outfit for the French ace.
The 25-year-old has enjoyed impressive back-to-back seasons in France, scoring 48 league goals in total with 21 of those coming last year.
Given Arsenal’s need for a prolific striker, it’s no surprise that they’re being linked with Lacazette, with Lyon taking to Twitter last week to reveal that they’d rejected an initial bid from the Gunners.
However, according to Sky Sports, Arsene Wenger is ready to return with an improved offer for the forward, with claims that he’s valued at £40m by the French club.
For their part, Lyon have insisted that they don’t expect to negotiate the sale of Lacazette this summer, and have every intention of seeing him start the new campaign with them having only signed a new long-term deal with the club last August.
Nevertheless, their resolve will now likely be tested although it remains to be seen how high Arsenal go with their second bid, should one indeed be made.
It’s been another quiet start to the summer transfer market for Wenger, with the French tactician bringing in Granit Xhaka ahead of Euro 2016.
Takuma Asano and Rob Holding have also joined up with the squad, but the supporters will undoubtedly be looking for bigger and more established names between now and the deadline.
Lacazette will fit the bill in the sense that his goalscoring record suggests that he could address a serious problem area within the Arsenal squad, although it remains to be seen whether or not he’s the right man for the job.
Arsenal’s initial focus will be on agreeing terms with Lyon, and they can certainly expect to have to pay significant money in order to prise their top target away from the Ligue 1 outfit.