West Ham are to launch one final bid for Lyon star Alexandre Lacazette this summer after seeing a £32m bid rejected yesterday, according to the London Evening Standard.
News broke yesterday that the Hammers had launched a huge £32m bid to sign the 24-year-old striker, a fee which is more than double the club’s current transfer-record which stands at £15m which they paid Liverpool for Andy Carroll.
However, that same evening it was reported that Lyon, after long consideration, had rejected that offer and are standing firm on their £40m valuation of Lacazette – a player they are determined to hold onto this summer.
The striker netted 21-goals this past season in Ligue 1 with Lyon, his third-straight season scoring at least 20 league goals, but that wasn’t enough to convince France manager Didier Deschamps to give Lacazette a place in his 23-man squad for Euro 2016.
The Evening Standard state that the Hammers will go in with one final offer for Lacazette, but it will not meet their £40m reported asking price and hope to find a middle ground with the French club for his transfer.
It has been reported today as well, however, that Lacazette is open to a move to West Ham in spite of their lack of Champions League football and ‘elite’ status because of the success fellow Frenchman Dimitri Payet has had in his time with the club.
Whether it would be enough to get a deal done remains to be seen, but you can’t fault the club’s effort to land one of the most prolific strikers in European football.
