He may seem like the only possible striker option out there for Arsene Wenger, but the hopes of landing Alexandre Lacazette have just been dealt a blow.
As if things couldn’t get worse for Arsenal fans following that opening day 4-3 defeat to Liverpool, it seems the French international is starting to consider his loyalties.
The Gunners have already had an unconvincing bid of £29.7million waved away by Lyon, who are adamant their star man and top goalscorer will not be leaving this summer.
Whilst it was doom and gloom at the Emirates, Lacazette bagged himself a hat-trick as Lyon sank newly promoted Lyon with a comfortable 3-0 win on their Ligue 1 opener.
And while speaking to the media after the game, the 25-year-old didn’t really give Arsenal fans much hope of the North London side signing a forward any time soon.
If there are offers that cannot be refused, I’d like to not refuse them.
But I’m very comfortable at Lyon. The proof was there today that I was in the right state of mind. I scored three goals, I’m pleased.
With my teammates, everything is going well. So for me all is well.
(Have you had any offers?) Ask the president.
You may have already heard that president’s name pop up a few times, Jean-Michel Aulas, who has put his foot firmly down on Lacazette going anywhere this year.
Following Lyon’s recent Chinese investment, they are no longer after a big pay cheque so financially they don’t need to sell Lacazette either, despite recent reports.
We told you last week that Lyon had slapped a £60million price tag on the striker, over double what Wenger was originally prepared to pay for his services.
This post-match interview could just be a stunt from Lacazette to go along with what Lyon are telling him to say, he’s a man who has been at the club since he was a child.
That’s why he won’t make his feelings public, making it even harder for Wenger to chase down his signature in an already competitive market.
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