Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette has said that "it is possible" that he could wait for a move to Atletico Madrid.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas had already agreed to sell Lacazette to Atletico in this transfer window, but the Spanish giants will now be unable to sign any new players this summer after failing to overturn their transfer ban.
Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool have since been linked with a move for the 26-year-old, but the Frenchman has revealed that he would be prepared to wait until January 2018 to make the move to the Spanish capital.
The arrangement would be similar to the one that saw Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal move to Barcelona in the summer of 2015, before having to wait until the following January to make their debuts.
"It is possible. This is a case that can not be ruled out," Lacazette told Eurosport. "I did not think about it too much because the president said it was not possible. We must prepare for all the contingencies but that is not the plan I would prefer."
Lacazette scored 37 goals in 45 appearances for Lyon last term, and has now managed 129 goals in 275 appearances since making the breakthrough into the first team during the 2009-10 season.
Matt Law
