Arsenal are reportedly in with a chance to sign long-term target Thomas Lemar from Atletico Madrid in January provided they come up with the right offer.
According to a report from Spanish publication AS, as carried by The Sun, Atletico Madrid are prepared to cut their losses on Thomas Lemar in January, which has piqued the interest of long-term admirers Arsenal. However, the Gunners will have to come up with a substantial offer to sign the French winger.
Lemar has been on Arsenal’s radars for a while now, with the North London outfit having tried to secure his signing during Arsene Wenger’s final season at the club. However, a transfer failed to materialise at that point and the Frenchman ended up joining Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2018 in a £63 million move.
Lemar’s transfer, though, has not yielded the results that Atletico would have hoped for as the former AS Monaco star has struggled to adapt to Diego Simeone’s methods. The 24-year-old managed just four goals in 43 matches in his debut campaign and is yet to score or assist a single goal in 21 games across all competitions this season.
And, as per the report, Atletico Madrid are considering cutting their losses on Lemar and will be open to offloading him as early as the January transfer window, provided that the right offer comes along for the France international.
Arsenal are looking to add to their squad in the winter after a disastrous start to the season. Newly-appointed manager Mikel Arteta is prioritising the signing of a new attacker and a centre-back as he looks to get the Gunners’ campaign back on track.
Arteta has opted to use academy product Reiss Nelson on the wings ahead of club record signing Nicolas Pepe in his first two matches in charge. Given that the Ivorian hasn’t made the desired impact after his big money move in the summer, it makes sense that Arsenal would look to bring in another quality attacker to bolster their ranks to support captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Lemar is contracted to Atletico Madrid till the summer of 2023, but with the club open to a sale, Arsenal are in with a chance to snap him up in January. However, the Rojiblancos will look to recoup most of the £63 million that they shelled out to sign him from Monaco eighteen months ago.
It remains to be seen if Arsenal are willing to splash the cash to sign Lemar in the upcoming transfer window, considering that they are also planning a £50 million swoop for RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano.
