Arsenal transfer target Alexandre Lacazette still keen on Lyon exit, confirms club president

Jean-Michel Aulas wants to keep Lacazette at Lyon, despite the striker's wish to depart

Mark Critchley
Friday 30 June 2017 14:50 BST
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Alexandre Lacazette was expected to join Atletico Madrid until earlier this month
Alexandre Lacazette was expected to join Atletico Madrid until earlier this month

Alexandre Lacazette still wants to leave Lyon this summer, according to the Ligue 1 club’s president Jean-Michel Aulas.

Lacazette was expected to join Atletico Madrid earlier this month until the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to uphold a summer-long transfer embargo on Los Rojiblancos.

Since then, reports have consistently linked Lacazette with a switch to Arsenal, with Olivier Giroud touted as a make-weight in any potential deal.

Aulas has previously admitted that the 26-year-old could still leave Parc Olympique Lyonnais, but now insists that his own club must first find a suitable replacement.

“Alexandre should have left for Atletico, but that could not be done,” Aulas told AFP. “He wants to leave and we want to keep him, but the decision is not made.

“The case would obviously be the arrival of a player capable of scoring 25 to 30 goals per year. It will be a French international or a player of a very large European club.”

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Aulas confirmed Lyon’s interest in Giroud on Wednesday, describing him as “one of the players who might interest us”, but doubted whether the player himself would be willing to leave Arsenal.

“I think that right now Olivier wants to stay at Arsenal,” Aulas said at the Professional Football Convention in Cannes.

“You really have to ask Arsène Wenger. If there are arrivals at Arsenal, perhaps Olivier would like to return to France.”

Lacazette scored 37 goals in 45 games for Lyon last season, finishing runner-up to Paris Saint-Germain's Edinson Cavani in Ligue 1's scoring charts.

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