Arsenal are reportedly leading the race to sign Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette but they could still face competition from Atletico Madrid.
The France international has been on the Gunners radar since the summer of 2015 and it appears that the club will retain their interest in the next transfer window.
According to Spanish outlet MARCA, the north London giants are favourites to sign their long-time target in the summer with Les Gones willing to accept a fee of around £30m for his signature.
However, there could yet be a twist to the story with Atletico Madrid, who are currently under a transfer ban, willing to make their move to the Frenchman.
Atleti will have served a part of their one-year embargo in the summer, and they are hopeful that the Court of Arbitration of Sport will give the judgement in their favour and reduce the punishment – just as they did for fierce rivals Real Madrid.
As of now, the Spanish giants are still restricted from recruiting players and this puts the Gunners as the leading contenders for Lacazette, who is eyeing a fresh challenge abroad next season.
Lacazette has netted over 20 goals in each of his last three seasons at Lyon, and he looks on course to have his best campaign to date having already netted 28 goals in just 33 outings this term.
Arsenal had initially expressed interest in Lacazette back in 2015, but the Frenchman snubbed their offer to sign a fresh four-year deal with the Ligue 1 club.
The Gunners followed to monitor his performance over the course of that season and had planned to recruit him last summer, only to see Les Gones snub their £30m approach.
Lacazette will have only two years left on his deal during the summer, and Lyon will not come in the way of the striker’s decision, should he decide to move on from Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
