Arsenal prepared to incur £38m loss to push January transfer through
Barcelona have emerged as a potential landing spot for an Arsenal forward, and the Gunners are prepared to incur a £38m loss to seal his January exit, claims a report.
Arsenal have bounced back in style following a dismal start to the campaign. They have produced a 10-match unbeaten run across all competitions since their 5-0 defeat to Manchester City in late-August.
Six wins and two draws in the league has thrust them into top four contention, and one player who has played a significant role in their revival is Alexandre Lacazette.
The Frenchman, 30, has featured in each of Arsenal’s last five league matches. His last-gasp equaliser against Crystal Palace last month summed up the club’s new-found resilience under Mikel Arteta.
However, Lacazette is in the final year of his contract, and thus far, there are no signs an extension will be signed.
That leaves the Gunners with two options. Firstly they could sanction a cut-price January sale in order to recoup a fee. Alternatively, they may wish to squeeze another six months out of Lacazette given his stellar form, and then lose him for free next summer.
Now, The Hard Tackle have stated Barcelona have their eye on the first option, with their need for attacking reinforcements now immediate.
Martin Braithwaite is sidelined with a serious knee injury. Furthermore, Sergio Aguero will miss a minimum of three months after being diagnosed with a heart problem.
As such, Lacazette is a candidate to remedy their woes in January, and Arsenal have reportedly slapped a €10m (£8.5m) price tag on his head.
Lacazette was signed from Lyon in 2017 for a club-record €53m (£46.5m). Selling for £8.5m would represent a £38m loss.
Whether Barcelona will meet that valuation, only time will tell. Despite their well documented financial strife, Goal (citing the Spanish media) claimed they allocated €20m to spend in January.
€12m of that is likely to find its way to recently sacked Ronald Koeman as part of his compensation package. That could mean mean an €8m bid may be all they can muster.
Aston Villa manager race: Dean Smith sacked, Gerrard, Terry and Fonseca linked
Lacazette, Man Utd forward are Juventus back-up plans
Meanwhile, Juventus are trying to sign a new striker in 2022, but could turn to either Manchester United or Arsenal for Lacazette if they don’t get the man they really want, according to a report.
Their top target is Dusan Vlahovic of Fiorentina. Although the two clubs are rivals, a number of players have switched between them in recent years. Federico Bernardeschi and Federico Chiesa both traded Florence for Turin, for example.
Juventus have hope that Vlahovic will follow them after his rise to prominence in recent years. He seems destined to leave La Viola and has been linked with Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City among others.
But if that pursuit fails, Calciomercato claim they are widening their wish-list to include Anthony Martial and Lacazette.
The Gunners forward’s time at the Emirates is coming to an end. Assuming a new contract isn’t signed, he will make way via a cut-price January exit, or as a free agent next summer.
READ MORE: ‘Total priority’ becomes clear for Arsenal as club-record signing eyed
The post Arsenal prepared to incur £38m loss to push January transfer through appeared first on TEAMtalk.