Arsenal close to agreeing club-record deal worth more than £50m to sign Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon

Posted Saturday, July 01, 2017 by Skysports.com

Arsenal close to agreeing club-record deal worth more than £50m to sign Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon
Arsenal look set to sign Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette

Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette.

Sky Sport News HQ understands the deal will see Arsenal shatter the £42.5m club-record fee they shelled out to sign Mesut Ozil four years ago.

Sources close to the France international are confident a deal worth more than £50m including add-ons will be concluded, despite Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas declaring earlier this week he expected Lacazette to remain at the club.

Lacazette has emerged as one of Arsene Wenger's primary transfer targets this summer as Arsenal try to put last season's failure to qualify for the Champions League behind them.

Arsenal close to agreeing club-record deal worth more than £50m to sign Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon
Lyon's president has expressed an interest in signing Arsenal's Olivier Giroud

Last month, Lacazette said he would only move to a club who are playing in Europe's premier club competition but it appears the 26-year-old's stance on the matter has softened.

The free-scoring striker netted 37 times in 45 games last season and has two years left on his existing Lyon deal.

Lacazette had verbally agreed to join Atletico Madrid this summer but the move fell through after the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed on June 1 that Atletico would be banned from registering players during this window.

Lacazette boasted the highest chance conversion rate in Europe's top five leagues last season (38.9 per cent). His record of 28 league goals last term was more than the combined tally of Arsenal quartet Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and Lucas Perez.