Lyon confirm they have rejected €35million Arsenal bid for 'irreplaceable' striker Alexandre Lacazette

Lyon have confirmed that Arsenal have made a €35million offer for striker Alexandre Lacazette - but it has been knocked back by the French side.

A report in French newspaper Le Progres suggested that the Gunners had lodged a €48million bid for the 25-year-old, but Lyon quickly moved to deny this in a statement that they posted on Twitter.

But the Ligue 1 side did confirm that they had received a lower offer of €35million, which they have turned down, as they see the forward as 'irreplaceable'.

The statement reads: " Olympique Lyonnais categorically deny having received an offer of €48million from Arsenal for the transfer of Alexandre Lacazette, as Le Progres report this morning," the statement read.

"The club is disappointed that Le Progres didn't go to the effort of contacting us before publishing this false information, which creates confusion on the day the club is publishing its annual figures.

Reuters

The Gunners have been knocked back in their bid

"The reality is that Arsenal made a €35million bid, which Olympique Lyonnais turned down for one reason: l'OL will keep Alexandre Lacazette, who is irreplaceable and who is one of the main leaders in Bruno Genesio's squad."

Lacazette, who was not part of the France squad for this summer's European Championship, has also attracted interest from West Ham, Tottenham and Atletico Madrid.

REUTERS

Lacazette has a number of big-name suitors

Wenger is said to be keen on the striker, but the fee he would command has been a sticking point.

Arsenal missed out on Jamie Vardy earlier this summer and Lacazette offers pace and movement that would fit into the Gunners' style of play.

Lacazette has three years left on his contract, and that enables Lyon to put a premium price on their prize asset.

They are under no financial pressure to sell after agreeing to sell defender Samuel Umtiti to Barcelona for £21.5m.