Arsenal are set to hold contract talks with striker Alexandre Lacazette in the coming weeks amidst strong interest from Atletico Madrid, according to reports in ESPN.
The 29-year-old joined the Emirates club in the summer of 2017 from French club Lyon in a then club-record deal. While the forward has not been as prolific as his strike partner and good friend Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he still scored 45 goals so far.
This season the Frenchman hasn’t been among the goals as much as the fans would’ve liked with only 9 in 26 appearances.
The report in ESPN states that the North London club will hold talks with Lacazette whose contract expires in 2022, with the striker wanting assurances from Mikel Arteta over his role. Arsenal are adamant to be in a position where they end up losing both Lacazette and Aubameyang with the latter’s contract is up next year.
There have been reports of a swap deal involving Atletico’s Thomas Partey and Lacazette, but ESPN claim that the Emirates club have not explored that option yet as they are reluctant to take a call on the Frenchman with Aubameyang’s future still up in the air.
Spanish publication AS(via Daily Mail) are reporting that Atletico are considering to use winger Thomas Lemar as a makeweight to lure the North London club into selling Lacazette. Lemar was previously linked with a move to the Emirates but he ended up going to Spain.
This season has been a little difficult for Lacazette as he has suffered from injury concerns. This has resulted in him being in and out of the team. Apart from this, he also had to contend with the emergence of other options such as Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah both of whom are promising young talents.
It will be damaging for the club to let the attacking duo leave given the fact that it will be difficult to replace their contributions in front of the goal. Even if one of them were to leave, the club has to ensure that the other feels their future is secure at the club.
Arsenal have a little more time to negotiate with Lacazette and they should use that time to make the right decision. Lacazette remains a quality option that can come up with the goods at important moments.
