Alexandre Lacazette is a player whose stock is well and truly on the rise. The 23-year-old Frenchman has been in scintillating form so far in 2014/15, and in the absence of an injury-bound Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lacazette leads the Ligue 1 goal-scoring charts with an impressive 17 goals so far this campaign.
Such news will not be easy to hear for Liverpool fans however, as the Anfield faithful watched their side reportedly try and fail to sign this latest French sensation in the summer. Now, on the back of Jean-Michel Aulas’s latest outpour on the subject, it seems as if the chance to sign Alexandre Lacazette may have come and gone for Brendan Rodgers.
Aulas, the stern faced chairman of Olympique Lyonnais, has told the French press in no uncertain terms:
“It is more than a desire, it’s a decision. It has happened, by obligation, that we say ‘No’ in the hope of getting a big offer, but this time it’s ‘No’ and it’s a question of strategy. We will not sell.”
Such determined behaviour to keep hold of their latest asset comes as no real surprise from the Ligue 1 giants. Lyon have seen their side rise up to second in the league off the back of Lacazette’s goals, above PSG who languish in third, and only three points off leaders Marseille in first.
The Lyon-born forward has only ever represented his home-town club, so any move away from Aulas’ carefully constructed team may be seen as somewhat of a betrayal if it were to happen.
Nonetheless, Lacazette is wowing on-lookers from not only the rest of France, but across Europe as well for his fine displays. 17 goals in 11 matches is no mean feat for any striker, and it is these goals that are holding the Lyon No. 10 in such good regard. Lacazette possesses the ability beat his man, calmly find a nice pass, and tuck away several neat finishes at the drop of a hat. He can also bring the ball down powerfully from the air and play the role of a fine ‘hold-up man’ whenever the time comes.
Whilst many have already prophesised Lacazette to become the next Thiery Henry, the Lyon hit-man partially resembles more of a Miroslav Klose-type player, with his ability to find the net on countless occasions, finding himself in the right place, at the right time. France’s latest hot-shot obviously has better pace and overall movement than the recently retired German international however.
Liverpool are therefore not the only on-looking team to have expressed an interest in Alexandre Lacazette. Newcastle United have previously been keen on the 23-year-old striker in their attempts to revamp the North East with a new French twist, as have Arsenal, who’s Strasbourg-born boss never seems to escape being linked back to players from Ligue 1.
Despite the sense of sensation and excitement surrounding Lacazette at the moment however, don’t expect Lyon to give up easily on their end any time soon. The lofty Ligue 1 side have made a specific attempt to keep hold on their home-grown talent in recent years, with both Clement Grenier and Maxime Gonalons remaining in Lyon despite intrinsic interest from elsewhere. The lure of their newly built stadium has so far likely been enough to keep hold of Lacazette, but as Ligue 1 lacks the overall popularity of the Premier League or La Liga, perhaps the fate of losing their star man will soon become inevitable.
With Alexandre Lacazette in some of the best form of his life at the minute, expect this on-going transfer saga to continue to make headlines.
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