Olivier Giroud was spotted at Lyon airport this weekend and while it was expected he was simply flying in to see his family, Lyon’s president has confirmed an approach for the forward.
With Arsenal closing in on a move for Alexandre Lacazette after the clubs agreed a £44m fee, Lyon seem to want Giroud to replace Lacazette.
“There has been an approach, at some point, for Giroud,” Aulas told L’Equipe.
“He is a boy that we like, who scores lots of goals and who has a lot of ambition for Russia (World Cup). He told me personally that he wanted to take his time, that things were not completely defined with Arsenal, that he had a secret hope that he would be the number one striker next season.
“The key is Arsène Wenger.
“We are watching. We will try to very quickly sign a top European attacker.”
Olivier #Giroud est à Lyon ! pic.twitter.com/ThP6ARGUu1
— Espace Gones (@EspaceGones) June 24, 2017
Arsene Wenger has already said that he wants to keep Giroud and Giroud has said that he feels he can compete with Lacazette for the role of Arsenal striker.
But with a World Cup on the horizon, neither of the pair can risk being at a club where they don’t play.