Lille have been ordered to pay Sporting Lisbon €20million - around £17m - by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to settle their dispute over the transfer of Rafael Leao.
The news is good for Arsenal, as the French outfit may be forced to sell Gunners targets Renato Sanches or Jonathan David in the summer to raise the cash.
Lille could also be forced to offload Newcastle target Sven Botman.
Leao, 22, joined Lille on a free transfer in August 2018 after terminating his contract with Sporting, who claimed the player had a €45m release clause - around £37.4m.
The forward struggled to make an impact during his one season in France, scoring eight goals in 24 Ligue 1 appearances before joining AC Milan in August 2019.
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The Italian giants paid Lille €23m - around £19.1m - for Leao's services. He's scored 19 goals in 83 Serie A outings since and won his first three senior caps for Portugal.
As reported by Record via La Gazzetta dello Sport, Leao was ordered to pay Sporting €16.5m - around £13.3m - by CAS in March 2020 but contested the ruling.
The fee has since increased to €20m with inflation and passed on to Lille to settle.
Former Bayern Munich and Swansea midfielder Sanches, 24, is on Arsenal's radar and has less than 18 months remaining on his existing deal.
The Portugal international told the Gunners he was interested in moving to the Emirates in January when speculation was rife.
"Maybe Milan and Arsenal are interested but I don’t know," said Saanches. "I spoke with my agent, I know which clubs are calling me but I can’t say right now.
"But I know I’m ready. If an offer comes in, I’ll find out what’s best for me."
Ex-Gent forward David, meanwhile, could be a perfect signing for Arsenal, as they are in need of a new striker after allowing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to join Barcelona.
Manager Mikel Arteta has just two senior strikers left in his squad - Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah - and both players are out of contract at the end of the season.
David has scored 20 goals in 27 outings for Canada and has bagged 16 in all competitions for Lille this season. He has two-and-a-half years remaining on his existing deal.
The 22-year-old has previously been pictured wearing a Thierry Henry shirt and his agent Nick Mavromaras has revealed the player is keen on a Premier League switch.
"I think the Premier League is a good option for him," said Mavromaras in December.
"I think that he likes Spain a lot also because he likes the feeling of the ball and the very technical players. These two leagues are a big priority for him, but nothing is excluded."
In terms of Botman, Newcastle submitted two bids for the highly-rated 22-year-old in January but Lille were refusing to sell him.
If the Saudi-backed Premier League club survive relegation, Botman may be a realistic option now Lille are facing a significant financial penalty.
