Arsenal

Report: Arsenal to spend club-record fee to sign Alexandre Lacazette

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, SI.com Staff/Sports Illustrated via Planet Futbol

Alexandre Lacazette's on-again, off-again connection to Arsenal appears to be very much back on.

Arsenal will reportedly spend a club-record £44 million to sign Lacazette from Lyon in a major transfer splash to add to its summer haul. Arsenal, which finished fifth in the Premier League and will miss out on the Champions League for the first time in two decades, is said to be in the mix to sign Monaco star Kylian Mbappe and is also hoping to re-sign Alexis Sanchez. In the meantime, it appears to be closing in on the 26-year-old Lacazette, whose 28 goals were second-most in Ligue 1 behind Edinson Cavani's 35. Lacazette topped 20 goals in each of the last three seasons with Lyon, and Arsenal had past offers for him declined by Lyon in recent transfer windows.

He appeared headed to Atletico Madrid this summer, with Lyon's president saying that the club and player had agreed to a deal, but the Spanish club's transfer ban was upheld, meaning it can not register new players until the January window. That opened the door for Arsenal, which could swoop in with an offer that would eclipse the £42.5 million spent to sign Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid in 2013.

Arsenal has already signed Schalke left back Sead Kolasinac, inking him to a four-year deal after a free transfer.

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