Aston Villa are interested in Premier League veteran Alexandre Lacazette with the Arsenal forward’s £100,000-a-week wage demands scuppering a potential move to Turkish giants Besiktas, as reported by Sporx.
On the final day of the January transfer window, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang boarded a place to Barcelona, ripping up his Arsenal contract before joining the La Liga giants on a free transfer.
And while some were surprised that the Gunners would be willing to let their most reliable goalscorer leave for nothing – regardless of that high-profile fall-out with Mikel Arteta – those who have followed Arsenal’s transfer activity closely in recent windows will not have batted an eyelid.
Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil, Skhodran Mustafi, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Calum Chambers, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Aaron Ramsey, Danny Welbeck. Eight players who set the London giants back over £200 million. Eight players who left on free transfers.
And that’s without mentioning either Willian or Sead Kolasinac.
Come the summer, we could add another £46 millions worth of top-level talent to an ever-growing list. Alexandre Lacazette will be a free agent in July. And, with Arsenal stepping up their pursuit of a new centre-forward, it looks increasingly unlikely that the long-serving France international will be offered fresh terms.
Could Lacazette leave Arsenal for Aston Villa?
Lacazette is just 30 years of age, however. He’s hardly on the scrapheap. Last week, former employers Lyon went public with their desire to bring the one-time Les Gones talisman back to the Ligue 1 giants.
Inter Milan and Roma are also potential destinations.
According to Sporx, a move to Aston Villa may be on the cards if Lacazette opts to stay in the Premier League.
“He looks a real buy, for me,” Villa boss Gerrard said back in 2017, during Lacazette’s first few weeks on English soil. “His movement in the box is excellent and he only needs one chance to score a goal.”
Do Aston Villa need a striker?
With Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins and the exciting Cameron Archer already at Gerrard’s disposal, centre-forward is not a position Aston Villa need to strengthen. But Lacazette’s work-rate and outstanding link-play could suit the former Rangers boss’ aggressive, high-octane style down to the ground, a la Alfredo Morelos at Ibrox.
The report adds that Turkish giants Besiktas are also keen. Or, were keen. Lacazette’s camp are asking for £100,000-a-week however, a demand that has Besiktas running for the hills.
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