Atletico have opened talks with Arsenal over the signing of Alexandre Lacazette, with the Gunners willing to sell the player according to a report from Spain.
Atletico can only sign a striker after they have parted with Diego Costa, according to the same report in Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness).
Lacazette has slipped down the pecking order at Arsenal and new manager Mikel Arteta appears to prefer youngster Eddie Nketiah. Lacazette has been through some indifferent spells of form in the last two years, with performance levels dropping since he was crowned Arsenal’s player of the season in 2018/19.
With just two years remaining on his current contract, the club are at a crossroads. In order to maximise his value, this summer is definitely the time to sell. If he is not going to be the clubs first choice striker this season, there is little point in keeping a striker of his age on the bench and allowing his contract and therefore value, to run down.
The French forward notched just 10 Premier League goals from 30 appearances last season and 4 assists. However, Nketiah, viewed as his alternative, has scored just 2 Premier League goals and had no assists, in 13 games. Selling Lacazette without a replacement lined up would be a huge risk.
It could be that Aubameyang moves to a more central role and that would allow the likes of Saka and Willian to play on the left. However, to date, Arteta has shown no signs of doing this. Therefore, if Lacazette were to leave you would expect the Gunners to be in the market for another striker.