Arsenal have reportedly tabled an offer to land Spanish forward Lucas Vazquez, valued at €20 million by Real Madrid, in January.
According to a report by Spanish outlet ElDesmarque Madrid, Real Madrid could be bracing themselves for the departure of Lucas Vazquez in the winter transfer window. The Spaniard has an offer from Arsenal over a January move, with AS Roma and Bayer Leverkusen also showing interest in him.
Lucas Vazquez has been an integral member of the Real Madrid first-team setup since his breakthrough campaign in the 2015-16 season. Largely a squad player, the Spanish forward has still managed to remain a key contributor, coming through with his tireless work ethic.
But, the early stages of the season point towards Vazquez having his role reduced slightly, owing to the fine form of Gareth Bale coupled with the advent of Vinicius Junior and Eden Hazard in the Real Madrid first-team squad. The report also suggests that Rodrygo is expected to usurp him soon, thereby creating the possibility of a January exit, which has piqued the interest of Arsenal.
The Gunners were interested in signing Vazquez in the summer as well, when they seemed to be in an urgent need to sign wingers. But, a move failed to materialise and Arsenal set their sights away from the Real Madrid star.
Eventually, the North Londoners ended up signing Nicolas Pepe in a club-record €80 million deal. While Pepe is still acclimatising to his new surroundings, conventional wisdom suggests that the Ivorian should solve some of Arsenal’s issues pertinent to the wide areas.
But, with Reiss Nelson and Bukayo Saka being slowly integrated into the first-team setup, a short-term solution will be required. As a result, Vazquez is a viable target for Arsenal, who could enjoy the best years of the Spaniard’s career. In fact, the Premier League heavyweights have also made an offer to the Real Madrid forward over a January move.
Vazquez, though, also has offers from AS Roma and Bayer Leverkusen, which threatens to put a spanner in the works for Arsenal, particularly because Bayer are the only club that are presently ready to match Real Madrid’s €20 million valuation of the 28-year-old.
It is still unclear if Arsenal are ready to shell out the required sum. But, a €20 million fee might not be too prohibitive for the penny-pinching Gunners, although it remains to be seen if they move forward with a concrete offer for the Real Madrid forward in January.
