Mikel Arteta isn’t counting on Alexandre Lacazette for next season and Atletico Madrid are ‘very attentive’ to his situation, according to reports in Spain.

Arsenal's French striker Alexandre Lacazette celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and West Ham at the Emirates Stadium in London on March 7, 2020.
Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette celebrates after scoring the opening goal on March 7, 2020. (Photo by IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)

AS report that Mikel Arteta doesn’t view Alexandre Lacazette as an essential part of his team, opening the door for Atletico Madrid to build on their interest in the striker.

Atletico believe Lacazette would make a good fit for their team. Recent reports suggested a potential transfer was progressing fairly well. However, there are a couple of obstacles to making any deal happen.

Firstly, it doesn’t seem like Atletico are willing to invest heavily. AS write that ‘any arrival would not be at an exorbitant price’. Secondly, they already have a number of attacking options, so they’d have to sell before bringing a new one in.

Diego Costa is the most likely to move on, so his situation will directly impact Atletico’s interest in Lacazette.

Lacazette is up to 26 appearances for the current campaign, scoring nine goals and assisting three. He dropped out of Arteta’s Premier League starting lineup directly before the league shutdown, with Nketiah leading the line against Newcastle, Everton and West Ham.

It’s not clear whether that’s a permanent change at this stage. Arsenal still had the Europa League games to prioritise around those matches. Plus, Nketiah earned a chance after a couple of FA Cup goals. We’ll see who starts when football returns.