Arsenal ready to send star forward to Barcelona as part of a swap deal

Arsenal ready to send star forward to Barcelona as part of a swap deal - Reports

Modified Aug 17, 2021 05:11 GMT

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta left Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette out of the squad that faced Brentford (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)

Arsenal are ready to offer one of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette to Barcelona as a part of a swap deal, according to Spanish outlet Sport (via the Sports Bible).

In exchange for either Aubayemang or Lacazette, Arsenal are ready to take one of three Barcelona players: Neto, Philippe Coutinho or Clement Lenglet.

Barcelona are in the market for a new forward after the club failed to renew Lionel Messi's contract. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner joined PSG on a free transfer earlier this month. The Catalan giants are looking for a bargain deal before the transfer window shuts down in less than two weeks.

However, according to the aforementioned source, Barcelona will have to offload some of their fringe players to make a move for either Aubameyang or Lacazette possible. The Blaugrana want to sell the likes of Samuel Umtiti, Miralem Pjanic and Martin Braithwaite this summer.

Barcelona are interested in Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and are willing to offer Philippe Coutinho in exchange, according to Sky Sports News 🧐 pic.twitter.com/FL8k0pEujP
— Goal (@goal) August 16, 2021

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Also Read: Fabrizio Romano's Transfer Roundup: Neymar's role in Lionel Messi's transfer to PSG, Chelsea's transfer plans and more

Barcelona chasing Arsenal skipper to freshen up their attack

Barcelona are targeting Arsenal skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to freshen up their attack for the current season.

In the absence of Sergio Aguero and Ansu Fati, Martin Braithwaite stepped up to score twice in Barcelona's opening La Liga game against Real Sociedad.

Despite the goals, the Catalan giants are keen to sell Braithwaite and are likely to miss Aguero through injury. Therefore, a new striker is a must for the club.

Barcelona are looking to take advantage of Arsenal's keenness to sell one of their forwards. However, due to their financial restrictions, the club can only be involved in a swap deal as things stand.

Both Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were left out of Arsenal's squad in their opening day defeat to newly-promoted Brentford. However, Gunners manager Mikel Arteta cited fitness issues as the reason for the duo's absence on Friday night. Arteta said:

"They feel unwell, that’s all I can say. It is [a big miss] but in the world that we’re living in, I think the only permanent thing right now are changes. So instead of looking for excuses, you have to seek for solutions and that’s what we try to do every day."