Arsenal dramatically slash asking price in half as buyer finally found for star

Alexandre Lacazette celebrates Arsenal goal with Mohamed Elneny, TEAMtalk

Atletico Madrid are expected to relaunch their long-running pursuit of Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, according to reports.

Lacazette was linked with Atletico last summer, potentially in a swap deal with Thomas Partey. But while the Ghanaian midfielder ended up at the Emirates Stadium, the French striker stayed there as well. Now, though, it could be the time for him to leave Arsenal.

Only one year remains on Lacazette’s contract and the club will be keen not to invest too heavily in a new deal for him. Instead, it would be wiser for them to seek a buyer for the 30-year-old, even though he was their top scorer with 17 goals last season.

That task, though, has been complicated so far. A recent report revealed they were struggling to find any willing taker for Lacazette due to his high wages, despite “aggressively” marketing him around Europe.

The risk of him leaving for free in 2022, or signing a new deal that may be more costly than it would be worth, has therefore been lingering over Arsenal. But now, a solution is beginning to emerge.

According to Calciomercato, Atletico are back in the mix to sign Lacazette. They signed Luis Suarez last summer to very good effect and added Moussa Dembele on loan in January with less success.

Dembele will not be bought outright, while Suarez is only under contract for another season, by the end of which he will be 35. Therefore, Atleti are considering adding another striker to their ranks.

July 27 Transfer Chatter - Werner to Bayern, Man Utd want to buy Niguez and sell Martial

July 27 Transfer Chatter - Werner to Bayern, Man Utd want to buy Niguez and sell Martial

Chelsea's Timo Werner is being linked with a move to Bayern Munich, Man Utd are confident of signing Saul Niguez and are looking to sell Anthony Martial.

They are now looking back towards Lacazette and will take encouragement from a tempting drop in Arsenal’s asking price.

The Sun recently revealed that Arsenal will invite offers of around £15m for the former Lyon hotshot. A report from AS, reiterating Atletico’s interest, points out that this is a reduction of around half price.


Subscribe for free to TEAMtalk’s daily newsletter…


Converting the figures to euros, AS report that Arsenal were asking for €35m in March, but his price is now only around €17m.

Back in the spring, Sevilla and Roma were keen on Lacazette, but both clubs seem to have cooled their interest. Therefore, Atleti could have a free run at Lacazette if they deem the £15m price tag worth it.

Abraham to replace Lacazette?

While trying to sell one striker, Arsenal are aiming to sign another. There has been plenty of speculation in recent days about a move for Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham.

The 23-year-old appears surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge after slipping down the pecking order. He looked set for a stellar Blues career after his breakthrough season of 2019-2020. However, Thomas Tuchel’s arrival in west London has changed all that.

He was marginalised by the German tactician and played just 17 minutes of football under the former Paris Saint-Germain coach. There is nothing to suggest anything will be different in the upcoming campaign and a move away looks on the cards.

A number of clubs have been linked, with Aston Villa and West Ham known admirers. It emerged earlier this month that the Hammers were at the front of the queue for his signature.

But now the Gunners have appeared on the scene and are keen to acquire his services…

READ MOREBig name to be sacrificed as Arsenal ‘agree’ personal terms with striker