Unsettled Giroud faces showdown talks at Arsenal

ARSENE WENGER is set for showdown talks with Olivier

Giroud over his future as Arsenal seek to complete a club-record deal for Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette.

The Gunners have a made a £44million offer but Lyon are leveraging ongoing interest from Atletico Madrid to raise their asking price to around £57m.

The striker was expected to move to Atletico this summer but FIFA upheld a transfer ban against the Spanish club, meaning they cannot sign players until January.

Lyon have indicated they are prepared to wait to sell Lacazette but Wenger is keen to complete a deal before Arsenal start their pre-season tour to Australia on July 13.

Standard Sport revealed earlier this month that the Gunners have discussed using Giroud as a makeweight in any deal for Lacazette (above) or Monaco teenager Kylian Mbappe.

And that has become a possibility, with Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas confirming the club have an interest in signing Giroud, who is valued at £20m, as a replacement should Lacazette depart.

Giroud is ahead of Lacazette in the pecking order for France and believes he could win the same battle at club level but is seeking clarification over his position after becoming unsettled.

Giroud wants to guarantee firstteam football in a World Cup year and the chance to play in his home country may appeal. “There’s been an approach at some point for him,” Aulas told L’Equipe. “He is a boy we like, who scores lots of goals.”