#3 Alexandre Lacazette to Arsenal
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Alexandre Lacazette was the star of Ligue 1 in the 2014-15 season. The Lyon striker scored 27 goals in 33 games that season and finished as the top scorer of the league. Despite struggling with a back injury at the start of the season, he continued his superb form next year, scoring 21 goals.
The French striker was on the radar of clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool, and Paris Saint-Germain.
When Arsenal’s pursuit of Alvaro Morata and Jamie Vardy failed, the Gunners then went for Lacazette. The 25-year-old striker was an ideal replacement for inconsistent Oliver Giroud.
It was reported that Lacazette was unhappy due to the club president’s behavior during his contract negotiations last summer and wanted a move away from the club.
Arsenal submitted a €35m bid in an attempt to bring the France International to North London. However, the Ligue 1 club was determined to keep their star striker. Lyon rejected Arsenal’s bid and released a statement revealing the details of the offer.
‘The reality is that Arsenal made an offer of €35m to Olympique Lyonnais which we did not respond to for one reason only,’ the statement read. ‘Lyon will keep Alexandre Lacazette who is irreplaceable and is a key man in Bruno Genesio’s squad.’
Arsene Wenger was clearly unhappy with Lyon after the club decided to go public on Lacazette’s transfer. When asked about the club statement, The Frenchman hinted his frustration at the way proceedings were handled.
‘Lyon is responsible for their own statements,’ the 66-year-old said. ‘On the transfer front, I think the best option is always to keep as secret as possible.”
The Gunner pursuit of signing a forward this summer finally ended when they signed Luas Perez from La Liga outfit Deportivo.
