Ray Parlour names the Arsene Wenger signing Arsenal should sell to raise transfer funds

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Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has told talkSPORT that the Gunners should think about selling Alexandre Lacazette this summer in order to raise transfer funds and bolster the club’s ranks.

Lacazette joined Arsenal under Arsene Wenger’s watch in the summer of 2017 for a reported club record £46.5million – and up to £52.6million with add-ons – on a five-year deal.

The Frenchman’s time at the Emirates Stadium has been fruitful for the most part.

Although he did struggle at times last season, he finished the campaign strongly and lifted the FA Cup earlier this month.

However, Lacazette’s future at Arsenal remains uncertain, with the likes of Inter Milan, Juventus and Atletico Madrid linked with his services.

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reportedly on the verge of signing a new deal, the future of one of Arsenal’s main strikers looks like it’ll soon be settled.

However, with the Gunners’ transfer budget expected to be modest in wake of the global health crisis, Parlour reckons they should think about cashing in on their main asset.

“Lacazette will be the one, the asset,” he said on Friday’s talkSPORT Breakfast.

“You look at the assets they’ve got, there isn’t many really. They’ve got Aubameyang, but with him you’re not going to get as much as you’d like because, currently, he’s only got a year left on his contract.

“Probably the asset will be Lacazette. I know Juventus were interested in maybe buying him. Sometimes you have to lose a player to bring players in. You do need to freshen up the dressing room.

“I like Lacazette, he’s a decent player, but we have Eddie Nketiah and it’s all about whether he can step up now and improve as a centre-forward.

“That’s what Arteta will be looking at in training, ‘is he good enough to play week-in week-out as a striker?’ Probably not at the moment, but he can improve and probably can do in a couple of years’ time.”

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Whilst Lacazette’s 2019-20 season wasn’t plain sailing all the way through, he finished the campaign strongly and it’s clear he still has plenty to offer Arsenal.

However, Parlour has a point – the Gunners have several areas in need of strengthening, such as midfield, but players will likely need to be sold before others can come in.

Also, Lacazette’s contract expires in 2022, so this will soon become a pressing issue, and Arsenal will want to avoid getting into another Aubameyang situation – they need to decide soon whether they should cash in or offer him new terms.