Newcastle United defender Florian Lejeune and Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette are former France Under-20 international teammates.
Lejeune, who is 26 years of age and operates as a defender, recently joined Premier League club Newcastle from Spanish outfit Eibar for a transfer fee reported by The Daily Mail to be worth £8.7 million.
Lacazette, who is also 26 years old and plays as a forward, has moved to North London outfit Arsenal from French side Lyon for a transfer fee reported by BBC Sport to be worth £46.5m.
The two players played together for the France Under-20 side, and the Newcastle defender has backed the Arsenal forward to be a success in England.
“We have been friends for many years and the fact he has signed with Arsenal is no surprise to me,” Lejeune told The Daily Mail about Lacazette.
“I have always known he was a great forward. They have signed a goalscorer – in the last three or four years, he has been putting in at least 20 goals a season, so he will definitely score goals.”
Lacazette is one of the best forwards in Europe and is a proven goalscorer at the highest level, and the Emirates Stadium faithful will expect him to hit the ground running.
The France international scored 28 goals and provided three assists in 30 Ligue 1 appearances for Lyon last season, according to WhoScored.
The 26-year-old scored six goals and provided one assist in eight Europa League matches for Lyon during the 2016-17 campaign, according to WhoScored.
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