Arsenal prepped for £13m Alexandre Lacazette transfer bid

Arsenal still haven’t sold any players this summer for an up front fee. Given that sales are paramount to everything the club is aiming to achieve this window and beyond, it’s slightly alarming.

It’s also the hardest window most clubs will have known in which to sell players. Europe is almost entirely broke, Premier League clubs are even feeling the pinch and just a select few outfits have the capacity to part with any significant outlay. The job of selling players this window is monumentally difficult.

Of all the sides with the financial clout able to spend some money this window, Arsenal weren’t expected to be one of them. With no European football for the first time in a quarter of a century and a bloated squad full of players earning well above their keep, it makes one wonder how.

Even with a few quid to spare, whether acquired via bank loans, refinancing debt or otherwise, Mikel Arteta still needs to ship players in order to supplement any outgoings. It hasn’t been especially fruitful so far.

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Arsenal prepped for £13m Alexandre Lacazette transfer bid as Atletico Madrid reignite interest for striker in summer window

So what about Alexandre Lacazette? Looking across the squad, it’s telling that a 30-year-old with one year left on his contract is among the few members of the team who are up for sale that can attract an actual enough fee.

There were opportunities to sell him 12 months ago with interest from the continent, only for none of the offers to be deemed satisfactory and Arteta opting to keep hold of the Frenchman for another season at least.

In some ways that was vindicated, as he finished up as the Gunners’ top scorer in 2020/21 and had spells of strong form.

Yet in many other ways there was the opportunity to accrue some money, invest elsewhere – perhaps a No. 10 and a left-back would’ve been wise – and move Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang centrally as he wasn’t at the beginning of the campaign.

Now into the final year of his contract, it’s either find a buyer or let the £47.5m signing run down his deal and leave for free next summer. This really should be the end of players walking away for nothing.

As per Calcio Mercato, there might be an opportunity. It’s stated that Atletico Madrid (them again) are back in for his signature off the back of Diego Simeone’s long-standing appreciation. Goal add to this and state that a bid of around £13m would be Los Rojblancos’ opening offer, with Arteta keen to move the striker on this window.

Ignoring the source and the story itself – which is highly likely to be hyperbolic and not in any way concrete – where the discussion lies is in the fee.

Continued…

Arsenal Can’t Expect More Than £13m for Alexandre Lacazette

Sadly, £13m isn’t far off what Arsenal might have to give in to.

It feels wrong to be considering such a measly amount to be enough to sign a centre-forward of Lacazette’s calibre. It also feels wrong for Arsenal to be commanding much more.

Ideally, depressed market and shattered club finances aside, that number goes up. Realistically, however, it won’t.

Now 30 years old and with 12 months left to run on his deal, any interested party could hold out until January, get him to sign a pre-contract agreement and then sign him up for no up front cost.

This is a situation Arsenal have dug themselves into by allowing another expensive asset to run down a contract without any clear plan or structure in place. With it being the case that they want to sell Lacazette this summer, there is nobody else to blame for having severe difficulties trying to flog him and his £180k-per-week wages.

It’s a huge investment for any side facing financial uncertainty. And while Arsenal could never have foreseen how damaging the coronavirus pandemic would be, it’s simple squad building they’ve failed to manage.

The question facing them now is, if an offer of £13m came in would it be better to hold on to Lacazette until the end of his deal or accept that and then be faced with having to buy a replacement? Tammy Abraham is the man in Arteta’s mind.

In every scenario, Lacazette should be sold.