Atletico Madrid are reportedly interested in signing Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette, joining fellow La Liga giants Barcelona in pursuit of the Frenchman.
Barça were reportedly keeping tabs on Lacazette but now look more likely to sign Atletico want-away Antoine Griezmann, after he publicly announced that he will be leaving the Wanda Metropolitano at the end of the season.
. @AntoGriezmann: "These five years have been incredible. Thank you very much for everything, I carry you in my heart." pic.twitter.com/uz1jwQj1Sg
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) May 14, 2019
As a result, Atletico must now act quickly to replace Griezmann and
Currently, Atleti have Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata as their other striking options. Costa's future is unclear after a string of on-field misdemeanours, though, whilst Morata's future is dependant on Diego Simeone's willingness to pay another hefty loan fee to Chelsea.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will be reluctant to let Lacazette leave, as he has formed a deadly partnership with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Lacazette has also shown good goalscoring form in Europe, scoring five goals in Arsenal's route through to the Europa League final.
The Gunners take on Premier League rivals Chelsea in Baku at the end of May, knowing that victory will earn them a coveted spot in next season's Champions League.
Manager Unai Emery will no doubt be hoping that Lacazette remains focused on the task at hand, despite recently admitting that being linked with a move to Barcelona was 'flattering'.
Source : 90min