Lyon refuses bid of 35M-euro bid for Lacazette from Arsenal

LYON, France (AP) — Lyon has refused an offer of 35 million euros ($38.5 million) from Premier League side Arsenal for striker Alexandre Lacazette.

Lyon says "Lacazette is irreplaceable and one of the main leaders" in coach Bruno Genesio's team.

The 25-year-old Lacazette top-scored with 27 league goals in the French league two seasons ago — outscoring even Zlatan Ibrahimovic — and netted 21 last season.

He is under contract at Lyon until 2019.

In a statement on its Twitter page, Lyon denied a local newspaper report saying it turned down a higher offer of 48 million ($52.9 million) from Arsenal.