Our view: Exciting swap opportunity could arise for Arsenal if latest report is true

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Arsenal have been linked to plenty of strikers over the last few months. The futures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette seem to be up in the air for different reasons.

The former Dortmund man has entered the final year of his contract and Arsenal will have to sell him to avoid losing him for free next summer.

Lacazette, on the other hand, has two years left on his contract. However, the Frenchman has been overlooked by Arteta in the past few games in favour of young Eddie Nketiah.

That should ring alarm bells in Lacazette’s head, considering that Nketiah barely got a game in the Championship with Leeds in the first half of this season.

The Frenchman could decide to move to become a first choice elsewhere and, if Arsenal are smart about it, they could seal a really good deal that would benefit them massively.

Le10 Sport has claimed that Arteta has identified Lyon’s Memphis Depay to replace Lacazette or Aubameyang should they leave this summer.

Depay has been immense for Lyon since he joined the club in 2017. The Dutchman has scored 53 goals and provided 43 assists in 134 games.

Before suffering a terrible injury this season, Depay scored 14 goals in 17 starts for the French giants. With just a year left on his contract, Arsenal are right to look at him and, through Lacazette, they could make a brilliant deal out of it.

Depay-Lacazette swap?

Lacazette is a fan favourite at Lyon, for whom he played 275 times in all competitions. The Frenchman was one of the best players in the league and, if an opportunity does arise, there is a good chance they would take him back.

The financial side of things could make a potential deal complicated as Arsenal would like to get most of the £46.5 million (BBC) that they paid for him back.

With less than 12 months left on his contract, Depay’s value isn’t sky-high either. Yet Lyon would like to get as much money as they can for him as well.

If the right financial agreement can be reached, a potential swap between Depay and Lacazette would be a stunning move by Arsenal and it is not that bad a deal for Lyon either.