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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has refused to rule out a move for Alexandre Lacazette after speculation continues to gather around the Lyon striker.
Having failed to secure Leicester’s Jamie Vardy, the London side are continuing to scout the market for a new striker to boost their squad.
Lacazette has caught the attention of a number of Premier League sides including Tottenham and West Ham. The latter are understood to have had two bids for the striker already rejected.
The French club have valued their prized possession at £40m after the striker scored 23 goals in Ligue 1 last season. Since joining in 2010, Lacazette has now scored 92 goals in 229 appearances for his side.
But when asked about the striker by French broadcaster Canal+, Wenger gave very little away.
“I neither confirm or deny interest, if I say that I like the player it starts speculation,” he said.
Show all 10 1 /10Arsenal striker transfer targets Arsenal striker transfer targets Alvaro Morata (Juventus) Morata looks certain to leave Juventus, but his destination remains unknown. Real Madrid lead the pursuit for the Spain international given they can activate a €30m [£23.6m] release clause in his contract after 1 July, but Juventus will be keen to sell elsewhere given they can command a much bigger fee based on is valutation. Morata would represent a proven goalscorer that Arsenal have lacked in recent years, having fired Juventus to two Serie A title and last season’s Champions League final.
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Arsenal striker transfer targets Edinson Cavani (PSG) Cavani is ready to end his Paris Saint-Germain career and move on to pastures new, having grown unhappy at playing second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic – who himself is poised to leave the club this summer. Having played in both Serie A and Ligue 1, Cavani has admitted that he would like to play in the Premier League, and the Gunners have been linked with the Uruguay international in the past.
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Arsenal striker transfer targets Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli) Arsenal missed out on Higuain when he left Real Madrid in 2013, having had a bid accepted for the Argentine only to see Napoli storm in and snap up the striker. However, Higuain could be on his way out of Naples, with the club looking to freshen their squad up in a bid to go one better and build on this season’s likely second-place finish to challenge champions Juventus.
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Arsenal striker transfer targets Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) Benzema may be another who finds his time is up at his current club, with Real expected to make a major signing of their own in the summer to try and add to the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. While his two cohorts take the headlines in Madrid, Benzema remains one of the most prolific finishers in European football, and the Gunners showed genuine interest in the France international last summer only to decide against meeting Real’s valuation.
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Arsenal striker transfer targets Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool) Sturridge’s future has grown uncertain since Jurgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool. The striker has reiterated his commitment to the club and helped them reach the Europa League final, but he has also shown a dissatisfaction at times when Klopp has left him out of the side. Arsenal were reported to be interested in the striker, but strained tensions between the two clubs following the Gunners’ interest in Luis Suarez could scupper any potential deal.
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Arsenal striker transfer targets Neymar (Barcelona) A move for the Brazilian superstar would certainly be one of the biggest shocks of the summer, but his future in Barcelona is uncertain and the Catalans could be forced into selling him due to their increasing financial troubles. United have again shown interest in Neymar, but there is no reason to suggest that Arsenal can’t challenge them financially for Neymar’s signature and he would certainly fit into Arsene Wenger’s style of football.
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Arsenal striker transfer targets Radamel Falcao (Monaco) The Colombian has failed at both Manchester United and Chelsea, and is due to return to Monaco at the end of the season after a torturous two-year spell in England. But could he remain upon these shores and join Arsenal? With Monaco keen to sell and Falcao scoring a total of six goals in two years, the former Atletico Madrid forward would be available for a much lower fee than was touted 12 months ago, and you can guarantee that one big club playing in European competition will decide to take the risk on Falcao.
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Arsenal striker transfer targets Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) The Gabon international is emerging as one of the most lethal finishers in Europe, having scored 25 goals in the Bundesliga this season and 30 in all competitions. Both Arsenal and Tottenham have been linked with Aubameyang, and the Gunners have sent scouts to watch the 26-year-old, with the club keeping an eye on him given Borussia Dortmund’s inability to hold on to their biggest players.
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Arsenal striker transfer targets Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan) The Inter Milan forward has emerged as a possible alternative to Morata, and at 23 years old Icardi would certainly offer Arsenal an option for a number of years. Icardi has scored 16 goals in Serie A this season, firing Inter back into European contention, but his form has caught the eye of the likes of Chelsea and United. However, the Inter captain has stressed that he will remain with the Italian club for next season, yet Arsenal could yet persuade him to move to the Emirates with the carrot of Champions League football.
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Arsenal striker transfer targets Romelu Lukaku (Everton) Lukaku is expected to leave under-performing Everton in the summer after admitting he wants to play in the Champions League next season. United have always been the front-runners for Lukaku, although a return to former club Chelsea has also been reported, while PSG are keeping an eye on the strong Belgian. However, Lukaku would certainly boost the Arsenal squad, and at 22 years old he could be the striker that Arsenal can build their squad around in the future.
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Lacazette joins a growing list of strikers linked to Wenger’s side. Arsenal are alleged to be interested in both Alvaro Morata and Napoli forward Gonzalo Higuain too.
With so much interest in the player, Lyon will face a struggle to hold onto their star player despite recently extending his contract with the club until 2019.
Lyon have valued their striker at around £40m (Getty) Club president Jean Michel Aulas said last month: “In order to make a sale, all three parties need to be in agreement.
“A priority, he stays. If there is an offer that we cannot refuse, he will come see me and then that is it.”
Despite his recent association with the Premier League, reports have suggested that the French striker favours a move to Juventus with formal talks expected to take place between the club and Lacazette soon.
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