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President speaks out amid reports of £33m Arsenal striker bid

By on July 29, 2016

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas insists Arsenal have not made a fresh offer for Alexandre Lacazette and maintains that the striker will not be sold this summer, according to L’Equipe.

Lacazette has emerged as a key transfer target for Arsenal in recent weeks as Arsene Wenger desperately tries to bring in a new striker after missing out on several names this summer.

Lyon revealed earlier this week that they’d rejected an opening £29.3m offer for the 25-year-old hitman with Aulas claiming that the player would not be sold as he’s ‘irreplaceable’.

The Mirror were one of several outlets who then reported on Thursday that Arsenal were set to test the Ligue 1 clubs resolve with an improved £33m offer following talks with the strikers agent.

However, Lyon president Aulas has told L’Equipe that there has been no fresh offer from Arsenal as he doesn’t expect us to make one as Lacazette will not be leaving this summer.

“Arsenal have not come back [with another offer] and they will not come back,”

“No one will leave OL, except for Rachid Ghezzal if he has an offer, which I doubt.” Aulas told L’Equipe

Lyon manager Bruno Genesio has also got in on the act after being quoted by the Express as saying that Aulas has assured him Lacazette won’t be sold:

“I have been reassured yet again by my President that there will be no Alexandre Lacazette departure.”

So all the noise coming from the French club appears to suggest that we’re wasting our time pursuing Lacazette, however, Aulas has a history of being a tough negotiator and I think this is all part of his negotiating tactic.

He said very similar things about Hugo Lloris not leaving before agreeing a deal with Tottenham back in 2012 so it looks like he’s up to his usual tricks this time with Lacazette and is just trying to squeeze out the best possible deal.

MORE: Arsenal close-in on £37m deal after agreeing personal terms

We better hope so anyway as we desperately need to sign a new striker and Lacazette is one of our last remaining targets. If we can’t sign the Frenchman, I honestly have no idea who Wenger will turn to as there is a real lack of quality strikers on the market.