Arsenal: Lyon president Jean-Michael Aulus arrives in London to negotiate Lacazette deal

Lyon President Jean-Michael Aulus has travelled to London to negotiate with Arsenal for the transfer of Alexandre Lacazette after a deal with Atletico Madrid fell through as the Spanish club were hit with a transfer ban. The Gunners are in the market for a striker and the Frenchman has been earmarked as the player to ease their problems up front.

French publication Le Progres reports that Gerard Houllier is also accompanying Aulus on the trip which will focus solely on transfer negotiations. The striker has been in prolific form for his side in the 2016/17 season and Arsene Wenger has been tracking the player since last summer. He scored 28 goals and managed three assists in 30 league appearances. The Telegraph reports that Lyon values the Frenchman at a fee in the range of £60m ($76m).

Earlier, the striker had expressed his desire to play in the Champions League but recently changed his stance saying that it would not be the most important thing he would consider when deciding on his next club. The Gunners failed to qualify for Europe's biggest club competition for the first time under Wenger and will instead ply their trade in the Europa League.

"Gérard Houllier is with me, accompanies me, concerning the possible negotiations," Aulus said. "The transfer of Alexander to Atlético can not be done," he added.

The Gunners are well off in the attacking department, with Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck complementing Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez. Lucas Perez is likely to leave after not being given enough opportunities to prove his worth in the first team.

Meanwhile, the Gunners are still waiting for Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez to agree to a new deal, with both players entering their final year of their contracts. The Chilean is being heavily scouted by Bayern Munich with the Gunners refusing to negotiate with the Manchester City and Chelsea, who are also interested.