Arsenal and West Ham United are reportedly keen on Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha, but club president Claudio Lotito has suggested he won’t be cheap.
The Gunners are in need of addressing that area of Unai Emery’s squad with Petr Cech announcing his retirement, while David Ospina has been linked with an exit this summer too, as per the Sun.
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In turn, that leaves a lack of depth and quality competition for Bernd Leno, and so Arsenal will be expected to bring in another goalkeeper ahead of next season.
According to Calciomercato, they’re eyeing a move for Lazio shot-stopper Strakosha, but it’s going to cost them as it’s claimed Lotito has given him a whopping €50m price-tag.
The 24-year-old has impressed for the Italian side, conceding 142 goals in 121 games while keeping 37 clean sheets as Lazio have continued to compete for a Champions League qualification spot in Serie A while winning the Coppa Italia last season.
In turn, he has the experience and quality to perhaps make the switch to Arsenal or the Hammers, but given that price-tag, it’s unlikely that they’ll splash out such a significant fee on a player who isn’t necessarily even going to be first choice next year.
Having finished outside of the top four and fallen to defeat in the Europa League final last season, Emery’s side will be absent from the Champions League again next year.
With that in mind, time will tell what budget the Spanish tactician has to continue to stamp his mark on the squad, as he undoubtedly has other areas to consider too given Arsenal’s failure to achieve their objectives last time round.
