Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette has fueled speculations of a summer switch to Barcelona, by claiming he is flattered by the interest from the Catalans.
In an interview with French broadcaster Telefoot, as reported by Goal.com, Arsenal superstar Alexandre Lacazette has claimed that he is flattered by the interest being shown in him from La Liga champions Barcelona.
The 27-year-old Lacazette joined Arsenal from Olympique Lyon for £53 million back in the summer of 2017 and has quickly gone about establishing himself as a fan favourite at the Emirates. The Frenchman has had an impressive 2018-19 season, during which his partnership with fellow forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has flourished boundlessly.
Lacazette has come up with a return of 19 goals and 13 assists from 48 appearances across all competitions, helping Arsenal to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League and the finals of the UEFA Europa League.
This kind of form has seen Lacazette being linked with a summer switch to Barcelona. The Catalans have had another successful campaign domestically, lifting the La Liga title quite comfortably and making it to the finals of the Copa del Rey, but the manner of their semi-final exit from the Champions Laegue would have left a bitter taste.
Barcelona are believed to be eyeing a restructuring of the squad heading into the next season. And a new centre-forward is something that has been on their transfer plans for a while now. Star man Luis Suarez has battled with injuries over the course of the season and has struggled to deliver in the Champions League, netting just once.
Kevin-Prince Boateng was brought in on loan from Sassuolo during the January window, but merely as a stop-gap till the end of the season. The Ghanaian’s transfer is unlikely to be made permanent and with Suarez set to turn 33 years old halfway through the next season, a new striker should be a priority for the Blaugrana.
Atletico Madrid superstar Antoine Griezmann has once again been linked with a move to Barcelona. However, should that move fail to come to fruition, Lacazette has emerged as the alternative for the Catalan giants. And when quizzed about the reported interest from Barcelona, the 27-year-old Frenchman told Telefoot: “It’s flattering.”
Lacazette still has a little over three years left on his contract with Arsenal. However, the idea of a summer move to Barcelona could prove to be quite appealing for the French international, more so if the Gunners miss out on qualification for next season’s Champions League, for which they will need to beat Chelsea in the Europa League final later this month.
A number of players have made the switch from Arsenal to Barcelona, most notably Marc Overmars, Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas. It remains to be seen if Lacazette also ends up joining that list come next season.
