Arsenal will turn to Inter striker Mauro Icardi if they fail to sign Alexandre Lacazette
ARSENAL could turn to £50 million-rated Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi if they fail to land Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette.
The Gunners have already had a £35m bid turned down for Lacazette and, should they decide not to go back in for the French international, they will look to sign the Inter man instead.
But they could face competition from Napoli, who are reported to be willing to pay £60m.
European newspapers have been quick to link Icardi with Napoli, Arsenal and Bayern Munich, while Inter president Erick Thohir has indicated Icardi could leave for the right price.
“All of us and Inter are hoping that figure goes above £40m," he said. "Inter will be here for hundreds of years, but it is made of individuals who change each year.”
Icardi, 23, is rated as one of the best strikers in Serie A - and no wonder.
He has scored 47 Serie A goals for them in 91 appearances, having impressed with Inter and beforehand with Sampdoria.
He boasts good movement in the area, a sharp footballing intelligence and fine finishing skills and Arsene Wenger is confident Icardi can add the finishing touches to Arsenal’s creative approach play that, say, Olivier Giroud, often lacks.
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Unlike Giroud, though, he is not known for his physical presence.
The Gunners failed to sustain a Premier League title push last season, struggling to keep pace with champions Leicester City.
And with Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho to compete with at Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United next season, Wenger must strengthen.
Swiss international attacking midfielder Granit Xhaka remains Arsenal's only summer buy and Wenger is expected to make one final offer for Lacazette to try and tempt Lyon into selling the forward, just days after the Ligue 1 club embarrassed the Gunners by making their opening offer public.
The French club were initially angered by Arsenal when a £29.3m offer arrived for the 25-year-old and decided to make their rejection public knowledge in a warning to Arsenal given that it fell £3m short of what West Ham had offered over a month before.
Swiss international attacking midfielder Granit Xhaka remains Arsenal's only summer buy and Wenger is expected to make one final offer for Lacazette to try and tempt Lyon into selling the forward, just days after the Ligue 1 club embarrassed the Gunners by making their opening offer public.
The French club were initially angered by Arsenal when a £29.3m offer arrived for the 25-year-old and decided to make their rejection public knowledge in a warning to
Arsenal given that it fell £3m short of what West Ham had offered over a month before.