Claude Puel, Alexandre Lacazette’s former manager during his time with Lyon, insists the striker could do ‘very, very well’ if he joined FC Barcelona.

Rumours linking Lacazette to Barcelona have started to grow, particularly since Arsenal’s Europa League final defeat to Chelsea. Spanish outlet Sport reported shortly after the game that the La Liga champions were interested in signing the striker, after which he was reportedly spotted in Barcelona.

Speaking about his former player, Claude Puel insisted Lacazette wouldn’t have any problems playing at the Camp Nou.

“Lacazette can be a player like Luis Suárez,” Puel told El Pais. “For me, he could do very, very well in Barcelona. Suárez’s problem is that he has lost his physical attributes. He used to be more powerful, he pulled away more. Not now.

“[Playing at centre-forward] he (Lacazette) has everything a scorer needs. He’s small, but this is not a problem for him. He has progressed a lot without the ball. He runs, he works for the team. He has become a complete player.”

Lacazette had a good season with Arsenal, directly contributing to 30 goals in 49 games, as well as winning a couple of penalties and having a few goals incorrectly ruled out. What’s more, he gave up penalty duty to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to allow his strike partner to chase the Golden Boot.

As a result, you wouldn’t expect Arsenal to sell for cheap. They signed Lacazette for £46.5m, and would surely hold out for at least 50% more than that after the 28-year-old has proven he can adapt to one of the most physically demanding leagues in the world. There have even been some suggestions Arsenal wouldn’t sell for under £100m.

Nonetheless, it’s good to see the media aren’t waiting around after Arsenal’s defeat to push one of their star players towards a move.