Report: Arsenal set to launch bids worth £85M for Lemar, Lacazette
Arsenal's latest attempt to strengthen its squad should signal the club's lofty ambitions for the upcoming season, as the north London side is reportedly preparing to launch bids for French internationals Thomas Lemar and Alexandre Lacazette.
Arsenal has identified Lemar and Lacazette as its top transfer targets this summer in deals that are expected to cost a combined £85 million, according to Jeremy Wilson and John Percy of The Telegraph.
Lemar, 21, is expected to cost Arsenal roughly for £30 million. The Premier League outfit reportedly prefers the AS Monaco winger over Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez, who the Gunners remain interested in but may opt against a move in favour of pursuing a younger player instead of the 26-year-old former PFA Player of the Year winner.
Meanwhile, Lacazette is likely to command a fee worth £49 million, along with add-ons, in a possible transfer that has been addressed on several occasions by Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas.
Aulas has seemingly teetered on his stance over whether to sell Lacazette. He initially set the price tag at €55 million (£48 million) before adding another €10 million weeks later. However, he dismissed talk of Lacazette's departure when he insisted on keeping the forward until Lyon is able to find a suitable replacement.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is said to be eager to secure Lacazette's services in an effort to deter Lyon from selling him to Atletico Madrid, which was on the verge of signing the 26-year-old forward until the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the Spanish side's transfer ban until January 2018.
Wilson and Percy suggest that the capture of the two Frenchman could signal the end for Alexis Sanchez in an Arsenal shirt, considering the various reports linking the Chilean with a move away from the Emirates Stadium this summer as he enters the final 12 months of his contract without a new deal in sight.
Olivier Giroud could be another player headed for the exit following reports linking the French forward with transfer to West Ham, Lyon, and Marseille.
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