Alexandre Lacazette’s Arsenal future: Lyon transfer decision, delay reason, contract issue

Alexandre Lacazette’s future at Arsenal seems to be up in the air amid interest for the forward during the January transfer window and his contract with the club expiring in the summer.

The Frenchman joined the Gunners in 2017 from Lyon and has been one of their main players since, scoring 70 goals in 192 appearances.

But his tenure in north London almost came to an end last month, with reports suggesting a return to the Ligue 1 side could have happened.

Lyon return

According to L’Equipe, Lyon attempted to re-sign Lacazette during the winter window, but will now try and push to secure his signature in the summer after deeming him a ‘priority’ target.

The French outlet claims the 30-year-old still has ‘close ties’ with Lyon, so a return to the Ligue 1 club shouldn’t be ruled out in future.

Why the deal didn’t happen

A return to France didn’t materialise due to Lacazette now being Arsenal’s main option up top - this after the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona on deadline day.

Lacazette is expected to be their first-choice striker, with Eddie Nketiah, who is also out of contract in the summer, his understudy.

To add to this, the former has been handed the captain’s armband until the end of the campaign, so he will be an influential figure for their push for a top-four place come May.

Contract issue

As previously mentioned, the 30-year-old’s contract with the Gunners expires in the summer, with no talks of a new deal reported.

Back in November, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said the following about Lacazette’s contract situation, via the Daily Mail: “I don’t know there is so much stuff on his contract.

“’What I can say is I’m really happy with what Lacazette is doing.

“We’re not going to be talking about any of that until the end of the season.”

One issue that could arise if Lyon wanted to re-sign Lacazette in the summer is his reported weekly wage.

The site adds that the Frenchman currently earns £182,000-per-week at Arsenal, a number that Lyon would be ‘difficult to afford’.

Future plans

The club are said to be lining up a new two-year deal for the Frenchman, as per TEAMtalk, though they initially planned to offer him a one-year extension.

Lacazette has five goals and four assists in 21 appearances for Arsenal this campaign and with Aubameyang’s departure, it’s likely that the Frenchman’s game-time will be significant for the remainder of the season, especially now he is captain.