On the verge of completing a club-record deal to join Arsenal, Alexandre Lacazette’s proposed switch wouldn’t be possible without Arsene Wenger.

Wenger, who continues to receive tireless amounts of criticism and negative comments from supporters, met the 26-year-old in Paris last month and managed to convince Lacazette to join his squad ahead of the upcoming campaign, reports the Express.

Still open to an Atletico move at the time, Lacazette was prepared to wait until next January to make his debut as a result of their ongoing trnasfer ban. Le Parisien have claimed that Wenger had a face-to-face interview with him, explaining exactly why they were interested in his services and how he’d fit the “project” at the Emirates.

Lacazette scored 37 goals in 45 games in all competition for Lyon last season, netting 20 league goals for the third consecutive campaign to prove his pedigree as a top centre-forward in Europe.

The Gunners’ interest in Lacazette has been consistent over the past few seasons, and despite Jean-Michel Aulas’s best efforts to retain Lyon’s prized asset, it looks increasingly likely the Gunners will finally capture one of their main transfer targets thanks to Wenger.