The Gunners forward Alexandre Lacazette will seemingly return to boyhood club Olympique Lyonnais when his current deal expires later this summer, reports the Athletic. The Frenchman will leave Arsenal – which he joined from Lyon in 2017 – at the end of the month after both the club and the player decided against extending their relationship. The Lyon hierarchy had previously announced their intention to bring Lacazette back to the Groupama Stadium.
“He’s a player who interests us for all that he has represented here. We noticed his maturity and he is someone that the club have stayed in contact with,”
the club’s general manager Vincent Ponsot had said.
Lacazette signed for Arsenal in a 46.5 million pounds deal from Lyon in 2017 after the club beat competition from the likes of Atletico Madrid for his signature.
The Frenchman scored two minutes into his Premier League debut on the opening day of the 2017/18 season and would finish as Arsenal’s top scorer for that campaign with 17 goals across all competitions.
However, competition from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, managerial changes, and inconsistent form derailed the promising start to his life at Emirates Stadium; Lacazette would finish his spell at by playing for the Gunners 206 times in five years and scoring 71 goals.
Also read 👉 Lacazette open to Arsenal exit; reveals talks with ‘lot of clubs’
With Lacazette on the verge of leaving, Arsenal’s focus will shift to building the attack for subsequent seasons. Manchester City star Gabriel Jesus, whose contract expires in 2023, is reportedly the primary target, with rumours claiming an agreement between the clubs is near enough.
Furthermore, the Gunners have also managed to tie Eddie Nketiah down to a long-term contract after it looked like the youngster, too, would leave the club when his contract expired later this summer.
Nketiah made a string of appearances as the starting striker towards the end of the previous season and played a crucial role in Arsenal’s failed pursuit of a top-four spot.
