Alexandre Lacazette to leave Lyon this summer? ‘I want to get to the next level’, Liverpool and Arsenal target declares
Alexandre Lacazette has signalled the end of his Olympique Lyonnais career by declaring it is time to take his performances to ‘the next level’.
The France striker has been linked with a big-money move away from the Parc OL in the last few seasons, with Arsenal and West Ham making their interest known last year.
The 25-year-old, who came through the youth ranks at the Ligue 1 club, has impressively netted 89 goals in the last three campaigns and feels it is now time to leave his comfort zone and prove himself elsewhere.
In an interview with French publication L'Equipe, Lacazette said: "I think that's [the summer] the right moment [to leave].
"I want to discover something else, to put myself in danger and to get to the next level.
"People say in passing that I score goals, but I know very well that on the European level I am not very well known.
"I want to see if I can answer the questions that people are asking, and to make further progress."
Slaven Bilic's Hammers had a bid of over £40million rejected for the forward last summer, while Premier League duo Arsenal and Liverpool have strongly been linked with summer swoops.
Champions League semi-finalists Atletico Madrid have also shown an interest in bringing him to the Spanish capital, according to reports. They are a club famed for developing world-class strikers over the years such as Radamel Falcao, Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero. Lacazette likes the setup of the club, as well as the chance to link up with his France team-mate.
"It's totally me [who will decide where the destination]", Lacazette continued.
"It's [Atletico] a club that is in the last stages of the Champions League for several years.
"It is a great team, in a new stadium, and it is also a club that makes the players progress. And there is Antoine Griezmann."
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