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Arsenal must pay €65m for Alexandre Lacazette, Lyon eye Giroud - Aulas

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has said Arsenal are interested in signing Alexandre Lacazette but would have to pay €65 million to get him.

Lacazette, 26, has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates this summer after scoring 37 goals in 45 games for the Ligue 1 club last season.

The striker almost moved to Atletico Madrid before the Spanish side were hit by a transfer ban, but Aulas said there was also interest from Arsenal.

"I do not have the intention of rapidly letting Alexandre go, because there is still a desire from Atletico Madrid to bring him in on the 1st of January [2018]," he told L'Equipe.

"Now, I will also be listening to what Alexandre has to say. I saw Arsene [Wenger], during the match between France and England. I was with Gerard Houllier [Lyon advisor] and I was led to be believed that he said to Gerard that there could be interest from Arsenal.

"But it is premature to say that a deal will be done. The first thing that needs to happen is that we have to do a very big deal before. We cannot let a player of his quality leave without having a replacement for him."

Asked whether an offer of between €50m and €60m from Arsenal would be accepted, he replied: "It will have to be at the very least that. Everyone knows that the offer from Atletico is €53m plus €12m in bonuses. That is €65m.

"As the Arsenal representatives have been told, a deal would occur around there. The price for a player who scores between 25 and 30 goals every year is at the very least that.

"But honestly, I have not yet considered Arsenal for the moment, because I thought that Alexandre would stay after his failed departure to Atletico Madrid."

Lyon have also been linked with a move for Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud and Aulas said he liked the player.

"There has been an approach, at some point, for Giroud," he said. "He is a boy that we like, who scores lots of goals and who has a lot of ambition for Russia [the World Cup].

"He told me personally that he wanted to take his time, that things were not completely defined with Arsenal, that he had a secret hope that he would be the No. 1 striker next season.

"The key is Arsene Wenger. We are watching. We will try to sign a top European attacker very quickly."

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