Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger met Lyon president to discuss £50million transfer for striker Alexandre Lacazette
French boss was in France this week to bid for the 26-year-old not Monaco man Kylian Mbappe
ARSENAL are stepping up the pace as they try to clinch a £50million deal for Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette.
Manager Arsene Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis met with Lyon president Jean-Michael Aulas this week to thrash out a fee for the 26-year-old French international.
And Wenger is convinced he can lure Lacazette to the Emirates with the promise of £200,000 a week.
The Gunners big-wigs were snapped at Nice airport in the south of France as they made their way for face-to-face talks with Aulas at his luxury villa in the billionaires’ playground of Cap Ferrat.
Lacazette scored 37 goals for Lyon this season and has been on Wenger’s shopping list for more than a year.
Last month he appeared to rule out a move to Arsenal after declaring he only wanted to sign for a club in the Champions League.
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But he changed his tune after a move to Atletico Madrid collapsed due to their transfer ban.
He said: “The Champions League is important but it is not a deal-breaker for my next club.
“The Premier League is interesting and I will look for a club where there are not too many players in my position, so I will not be benched.”