Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette signing should end Kylian Mbappe

Arsenal are actually finally in talks to sign Alexandre Lacazette, meaning that at long last, the striker debate can come to an end, as will Kylian Mbappe.

It’s been three years in the making but finally, at long last, Arsenal are reportedly (via reliable SkySports) entering into official talks to land Alexandre Lacazette. Lyon owner Jean-Michael Aulas was said to be in London just a few days ago and it sounds like talks have escalated from there, leading to an actual negotiation.

I don’t need to tell you this, but this is huge. Arsenal would need to spend a club record amount to land the Frenchman, but it would be the first time Arsene Wenger has spent a premium amount on a striker since, well, maybe ever.

However, this could also mean (should also mean) that, since Lacazette is solving that age-old vacancy, it therefore ends the pursuit of Kylian Mbappe. The teen sensation may be the hottest commodity on the market, but the simple fact of the matter is that it simply doesn’t make any sense anymore.

Are we really going to spent over twice what we are spending on Lacazette to land someone who A) Might not be ready to make an immediate impact and B) is only using Arsenal as a stepping stone to get to the “next level” of Real Madrid. In the short term, that may sound okay. We’d still be getting him for a couple years or so.

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But it no longer makes sense with arguably the most consistent scorer in Ligue 1 on the squad, who is not going to settle for a bit-part role. Plus, given common sense as well as the reports of what Mbappe is looking for, he isn’t going to settle for a sidekick role either.

And if you want to talk long term, the Gunners have plenty to look forward to. Donyell Malen and Eddie Nketiah alone are enough for us to wholly bank on to carry on the legacy of striking brilliance and erase any future need to invest a ton of money in a striker.

This is the smarter option. The more intelligent investment. We need a ready-made striker who can combine with Olivier Giroud. Mbappe may be the next greatest thing in the known world, but Arsenal has some significant steps to make before they start going all in on someone like that.

Next: Arsenal's Potential 2017/18 Starting XI Without Ozil, Alexis

Now we just have to sit by and wait for Lacazette to be announced. If things break down from here, there will be full-on riots.

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