Everton losing Olivier Giroud race as Marseille close in on Arsenal striker following Alexandre Lacazette signing
West Ham and Lyon are also chasing the Frenchman who will be allowed to leave the Emirates this summer
MARSEILLE believe they are leading the race to sign Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud.
Everton, West Ham and Lyon are all keen to sign the Frenchman, who will be allowed to leave after Alexandre Lacazette's club-record move.
Giroud spoke earlier this week to emphasise his commitment to the Gunners after growing frustrated last season.
The French international struggled for game time last season but excelled from the bench - grabbing several key goals.
And with Lacazette's arrival from Lyon in a £52m swoop, the 30-year-old will fall further down the pecking order.
Everton want to pair Giroud with Wayne Rooney to add experience up front, with Romelu Lukaku set to leave.
West Ham are also in the market for a striker, while Lyon have a Lacazette-sized hole to fill.
But Marseille are in pole position after Giroud admitted he would be open to joining the "historic" club last month.
He said: “I am not insensitive to the approaches of the French clubs and especially that of a historic club like Marseille."
Lacazette, 26, has won just 11 caps for France to Giroud's 64 but boats goalscoring pedigree in Ligue 1.
The lethal frontman has bagged 129 goals in 275 games for Lyon after graduating from their academy in 2009.
His strike rate has increased considerably over the last three seasons as Lacazette found the net 76 times in Ligue 1.