Arsenal and Liverpool both thought they’d lost out in the race to sign Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette with the player reportedly keen to join La Liga giants Atletico Madrid this summer.
However, Atletico are currently under a transfer bun due to breaking rules in regards to signing of foreign players under the age of 18 and as such, their potential move for Lacazette is now in serious doubt.
Reports in Spain suggest that Diego Simeone’s side will lose their appeal against the ban with the Court of Arbitration for Sport set to uphold it.
Therefore, while Atletico could still but the striker, he couldn’t be registered until January, meaning he’d be ineligible to play the first part of the season and with his eyes set on a place in France’s 2018 World Cup squad, the 26-year-old is highly unlikely to be happy not playing for half a season.
This development could open the door for Arsenal to swoop in and get a deal done for him, although whether he fancies a move to England remains to be seen.
