Aston Villa linked with raid for £46m Arsenal ace

Aston Villa are continuing to fuel transfer rumours even after the January transfer deadline as reports have linked them with a shock move for the Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette.

The Gunners star is out of his contract this summer and several clubs are reportedly chasing after the forward.

The Turkish news outlet, Sporx, has claimed that Steven Gerrard’s Villa have joined the list currently including Lyon and Besiktas as contenders to sign the French forward on a free transfer.

The 30-year-old has scored three times in his 16 Premier League appearances so far this season and has a record of 44 goals in 153 appearances in total since moving to the Emirates from Lyon in 2017.

Gerrard’s move to Aston Villa has brought Villa Park back on the map as a viable transfer option with Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho moving to Birmingham to reunite with his former teammate.

Former Everton and French star Lucas Digne also made the decision to move down south while another of Gerrard’s Liverpool friends Luis Suarez has also been linked with a move to Villa Park.

The Uruguayan international is out of contract at Atletico Madrid in the summer and reports have claimed he is holding off signing with any other club in the hope that he can team up with Gerrard once more.

How likely are Villa to sign Alexandre Lacazette?

In 2017, while Gerrard was working as a pundit for BT Sport, the former Liverpool and England star said: “They’ve added Lacazette and he looks a real buy, for me.

They spent a lot of money on him but I’ve watched him a bit this season and he’s started with a bang.

His movement in the box is excellent and he only needs one chance to score a goal.”

Sporx have also claimed that Lacazette is hoping to secure a salary of around £5m per season, which is something that Besiktas have yet to agree to.

With the likes of Coutinho and the potential for Suarez, Lacazette will be unlikely to dismiss Gerrard’s proposal if an official one is made and a move from the Emirates to Villa Park is not unlikely for the Frenchman.

Lacazette at Arsenal

The French international has been with the Gunners since 2017, having previously played for Lyon since 2010.

During his tenure at Lyon, Lacazette scored 100 times in 203 appearances.

Despite finding himself relatively unpopular with Unai Emery, Lacazette went on to become the Arsenal Supporters Club’s Player of the Season in 2019 and scored his 13th goal of the 2018-19 season during a 2-0 win over Newcastle United.

The 30-year-old Frenchman was also present during the FA Cup Final in 2020 against Chelsea which saw the Gunners win their 14th Trophy in the competition.

By the end of the 2020-21 season, Lacazette was Arsenal’s highest goalscorer in the Premier League having scored his 50th Premier League goal during a 3-0 win over Sheffield United.

His game characteristics involve a lot of pace, strength, balance, dribbling technique and the ability to play with either foot.

He is known to be a hard-working player who presses the opposition to win the ball back using defensive skills and tackling ability.

The 30-year-old is currently sitting on a whoscored.com rating of 6.88

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