Arsenal are reportedly on the verge of completing a deal for Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette, which will see him arrive in a £43m move.
Supporters have been forced to wait for a marquee signing this summer, while there are still question marks over the futures of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil given their expiring contracts.
However, there is finally some positive news as Lacazette will join them in a deal worth around £43m, which is significantly less than the initial £57m being demanded, while the move could completed by Tuesday, as reported by the Evening Standard.
That’s according to Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas, who now seems convinced that the Ligue 1 outfit will sell their most prized asset after weeks of insisting that they weren’t in any rush and were waiting for the right offer.
Further, Lacazette had been heavily linked with a move to Atletico Madrid this summer, but their transfer ban put a stop to that possibility, and in turn he now looks set to leave France for north London.
As per the report, the deal will eclipse the £42.5m that Arsenal spent to sign Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid in 2013, and Arsene Wenger will hope that it’s an addition to get the supporters back on side and excited about the season ahead.
Lacazette has bagged 113 goals in 183 appearances in all competitions over the last four seasons, scoring 20+ league goals in each of the last three campaigns.
He had the most prolific year of his career so far last season too, with 37 goals in 45 outings, which goes to show that Arsenal are buying him at the perfect time in his career as he looks to now make that next step.
It remains to be seen what this signing means for the likes of Sanchez and Olivier Giroud, but Arsenal fans surely can’t be disappointed now if this deal is done in the next day or so.