Atletico Madrid want to sign Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette this summer and believe they can fund the deal by proposing a player swap.
A report by French media outlet L’Equipe claims Lacazette is on Atleti’s radar and could be exchanged with a player from the La Liga club.
Lacazette agreed to join Diego Simeone’s side three years ago, when he was still a Lyon player, but an Atleti transfer ban put paid to the move and he joined Arsenal instead.
Now aged 29, Lacazette has hit 46 goals in 121 appearances for the Gunners, but could well be on the move this summer. So if he does join Atleti, which players from Simeone’s team would be a good fit at the Gunners? We’ve taken a look...
Thomas Partey
The Ghanaian midfielder is said to be Arsenal’s primary summer transfer target.
And football.london understands that Partey has an interest in moving to the Gunners this summer if a deal can be struck with Atletico.
It is likely that the market valuations of Partey - considering his clause - and Lacazette are similar, so a swap deal could benefit both clubs as they land their desired players without a transfer spend.
Thomas Lemar
Another French forward who is said to have been on Arsenal’s radar in recent times.
Lemar joined Atleti for a reported £60m from Monaco in the summer of 2018, a club record fee only surpassed by the £113m signing of Joao Felix last year.
However, the 24-year-old has failed to adapt to Simeone’s strict attacking shape and fallen out of favour this season.
Mario Hermoso
Hermoso joined Los Rojiblancos from Espanyol for a reported fee of £22m a year ago.
Primarily a central defender who can also play at left-back, he won five caps for Spain following his starring role at Espanyol.
However, he has featured in just 16 La Liga games this season and is behind Jose Maria Gimenez, Felipe Monteiro and Stefan Savic in the Atleti pecking order.
Arsenal have already signed Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares on permanent deals to bolster their backline, along with extending David Luiz’s contract.
William Saliba is also due to arrive from Saint-Etienne, but the uncertain future of Shkodran Mustafi means Hermoso could prove a useful addition to strengthen the Gunners' defence.
Hector Herrera
The box-to-box midfielder is another player who arrived at Atleti last summer but has failed to establish himself.
Herrera starred for seven seasons at FC Porto and at international level with Mexico, but his game-time in Madrid has been limited, largely due to the form of Partey.
He is another option to bolster Arsenal’s lack of players with the ability to control a game.
Diego Costa
The Brazil-born striker’s Chelsea links will stir up strong emotions amongst Arsenal fans. However, Costa is the player that opposition fans love to hate - while secretly wishing he played for their team.
He has scored four goals in seven appearances against the Gunners - including in the 2017 FA Cup final and for Atleti in their Europa League semi-final triumph the following year.
But he has scored just 14 goals in two-and-a-half seasons since his move from Stamford Bridge in January 2018 and could be moved on this summer. A move to Arsenal is unlikely, but he would add some vital experience and fighting spirit to Mikel Arteta’s side.
