Transfer News: Newcastle face Valencia competition in Alexandre Lacazette race

Valencia have joined the race for Alexandre Lacazette with Newcastle United also in the mix, as the Frenchman runs down his Arsenal contract.

According to Fichajes, Newcastle United have Valencia as competitors for the signature of Alexandre Lacazette, who could sign a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of England this month.

Newcastle United have been looking at several players from across many clubs to sort their squad out ahead of their ongoing relegation battle. The Magpies have been sitting in the bottom zone for most parts of this season and desperately need players who can improve their fortunes in the short term.

Their primary targets are to recruit a central midfielder and at least two defenders. While they have already signed Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid lately, the central defensive area still needs reinforcements. However, since the injury to Callum Wilson, Eddie Howe is also looking for a new striker.

In recent weeks, there have been links with Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang since the Gabon star’s issues with the club were made public. However, it seems the Magpies are also interested in Alexandre Lacazette, who has only six months left on his deal.

Embed from Getty Images

With Aubameyang clearly out of Mikel Arteta’s plans for the foreseeable future, Arsenal will be unwilling to trade Lacazette in the January window. The north London side are already stretched thin with their options in the centre-forward position, and selling the Frenchman would stand to weaken them further.

Despite Arsenal’s links to Dusan Vlahovic lately, they are not expected to let Lacazette leave and wait until the summer to find a reasonable replacement. Even if Lacazette cannot sign a pre-contract agreement with English clubs in January, he could very well do that with clubs from abroad, with Valencia interested.

The Spanish side are on the lookout for financially cheap options in the market, and a free transfer of one of Premier League’s most experienced marksmen might be an appealing option. The La Liga club may not hold the pedigree of their illustrious past but will still try to prise him away with a reasonable contract offer.

Valencia are not in the position to even come close to matching Lacazette’s current salary and a deal may prove difficult to achieve. The Frenchman will have plenty of options at the end of the season while extending his stay at Arsenal is also possible. If Newcastle manage to avoid relegation, Lacazette could become a realistic target for the Magpies in the summer.

All things considered, an exit in January looks unlikely for the Arsenal star, but a summer of big decisions awaits the former Olympique Lyon centre-forward.