The last week has seen Manchester United and Arsenal each sew up their first-choice striker for the upcoming 2017-18 season in Romelu Lukaku and Alexandre Lacazette.

Both clubs have moved relatively quickly to complete marquee signings at this early stage of the transfer window.

But top-class goalscorers are in particularly high demand across Europe right now, meaning neither Jose Mourinho nor Arsene Wenger could afford to miss out on their key targets.

It will be intriguing to see which of Lukaku and Lacazette proves to be the better signing over time, especially considering both might have ended up at a variety of destinations this summer.

The Belgian was on the verge of re-joining Chelsea before United swooped in, while his now Arsenal counterpart could well have moved to Old Trafford instead of him.

United reportedly dispatched scouts to monitor Lacazette during his final season at Lyon after Mourinho took note of his impressive goalscoring credentials.

The 26-year-old finished up with a total of 129 goals for the Ligue 1 outfit, including 85 in 115 appearances since 2014.

It goes without saying, he could do little more to confirm his status as one of the deadliest strikers on the planet.

However, Mourinho decided not to pursue Lacazette after having a scouting operation assess his quality down to the finest details.

The reason being, according to the Guardian, that the Red Devils boss was told of reservations about his physical attributes, big-game mentality and overall suitability for the Premier League.

Arsenal scouts, on the other hand, clearly saw no such problems while observing the man who would become their new £52.7 million striker.

With Lacazette off his radar, Mourinho turned to Lukaku – a player who outright trumps the France international in terms of physical presence and pedigree in the English top-flight.

The former Chelsea star was always going to command an enormous fee having racked up 85 league goals with Everton and West Brom since 2012.

But while Lukaku already knows his way around the Premier League, it wouldn’t be wise to assume Lacazette has no chance of proving those United scouts wrong.

Bring on the new season, we say.

Is Lukaku or Lacazette the better signing? Share YOUR opinion in the comment box below!