The France
international will boost the attacking options at Arsene Wenger’s disposal
after being a long-term transfer target for the Gunners.
Alexandre Lacazette has travelled to London
to finalise a club record move to Arsenal for an initial fee in the region of
£46 million.
The Lyon striker is expected to sign a
five-year contract at the Emirates Stadium after the Gunners increased their
opening bid.
Lacazette, 26, has scored over 20 Ligue 1
goals in each of his last three seasons for Lyon and will join Arsenal for a
club record fee, eclipsing the £42.5m paid to Real Madrid to sign Mesut Ozil in
2013.
With hopes of signing Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe
– a Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain target – fading, Arsenal manager Arsene
Wenger managed to convince another of Ligue 1’s star forwards to play at the
Emirates Stadium.
Lyon club president Jean Michel-Aulas, who
sanctioned the transfer on Sunday, has previously said the Premier League side
must part with €65million to prise Lacazette away from Parc Olympique Lyonnais
and the newly agreed deal includes bonuses worth £6m.
France international Lacazette was close to
joining Atletico Madrid before the Spanish club’s transfer ban was upheld and
Aulas confirmed via French news outlet Le Progres that Wenger’s side did not
want to pay over the odds for the forward.
The Gunners still hope to keep Olivier
Giroud, although they are prepared to let Lucas Perez, who joined last August
but scored only once in 11 Premier League matches, leave the north London club
this summer.
Arsenal also remain hopeful of a deal for
Monaco’s Thomas Lemar as well, but the youngster does not appear ready to force
a move to the Gunners.
Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez also
remains a target of Wenger’s after personally speaking to the 67-year-old over
a fortnight ago.
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