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Would Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette be a success in the Premier League?

Lyon's French forward Alexandre Lacazette (L) celebrates after scoring a goal during the French L1 football match Olympique Lyonnais (OL) vs Marseille (OM)

Having said "the time is right" to leave Lyon, Alexandre Lacazette could be one of the most talked about names in the transfer market next summer.

The striker reportedly attracted interest from Arsenal and West Ham last year and has done little to dent his appeal with 18 goals so far in Ligue 1 this season.

With a potential scramble for the Frenchman's services in 2017, WhoScored.com look into his progress and whether he could play a starring role for one of the top sides in the Premier League...

After deciding to stay at Lyon last summer, Lacazette has enjoyed a superb season. Indeed, it could well prove to be his most prolific should he continue to find the net at such an impressive rate.

A tally of 18 goals can only be bettered by PSG's Edinson Cavani (23) in Europe's top five leagues, but Lacazette's return is all the more impressive considering he missed a month of the season with a muscle injury. That has restricted the striker to 18 league appearances, equating to a goal per game this season.

For perspective, Lacazette's strike-rate of a goal every 85 minutes this season is the third best in Europe's top five leagues of players to score 10 goals or more, and better than the likes of Lionel Messi (91), Luis Suarez (94) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (89).

The best in the Premier League is Harry Kane, who has struck once every 116 minutes by comparison.

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While it's true that the quality of defences in France may be inferior to a number of leagues in Europe, Lacazette's strike-rate remains mightily impressive. It also marks progress from what was already an excellent record in Ligue 1.

The striker is just two goals away from reaching the 20-goal mark for the third successive season, with a tally of 66 since the beginning of the 2014/15 campaign enough to rank sixth in Europe's top five leagues.

I think that this summer will be the time where I will need a change of scenery and discover something else, still with the idea of advancing and progressing in terms of football and as a person.
Lacazette speaking about his future

Moreover, a WhoScored.com rating of 7.53 this season is up from a very strong 7.36 in the previous campaign, with an average of 1.6 key passes per game at its highest in Lacazette's career to prove that he can provide chances for others as well as taking them himself.

It is, however, the quality of his finishing that has risen substantially this season. A shot accuracy of 57 per cent and conversion rate of 35 per cent are not only at an all-time high in his career, but both statistics also rank among the top three players to have scored 10 or more goals in Europe.

While his accuracy is third to Bafetimbi Gomis and Aubameyang, only a revitalised Radamel Falcao has scored with a greater proportion of his shots.

Alexandre Lacazette (C) celebrates after scoring for Ligue 1 side, Lyon
Image: Lacazette has been in fine form for Lyon again this season

Two of those players perhaps highlight the reservations behind spending the sort the fee that would be required in order to force Lyon's hand on a player that has only ever plied his trade in France. Gomis' form tailed off dramatically at Swansea last season, while Falcao's torrid time in England needs little explanation.

In Lacazette, however, prospective suitors would be signing a player that is still improving. A player that hasn't had the same injury woes as Falcao and has age on his side.

His positional play has developed having played much of his early career in a wide role and his ability to find goalscoring positions in the box and pace will ensure that Lyon get the right price for a player that is undoubtedly ready to make the next step in his career.

The question now, rather than whether he will leave this summer, is where he will be leaving to?

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