Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed Lyon’s desire to bring Alexandre Lacazette back to the Ligue 1 club when his Arsenal contract expires in the summer.
Arsenal’s performance in the January transfer window caused massive panic among their fanbase. The club let some of its fringe players leave without securing any replacements. Still, the squad size still looks decent, although the lack of incomings, especially that of a striker, seems to have struck the wrong chord with the fans.
The big story of Arsenal’s window was their inability to sign a striker while letting former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave for Barcelona. His departure leaves Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah as the only two recognised forwards at the club, which is the major talking point in the last few days, mainly because the two forwards are on contracts that expire in the summer.
How good the Aubameyang signing will be for Barcelona is a question the player has to answer in the coming months; Lacazette, over at Arsenal, has a different point to prove. The Frenchman is expected to lead the team until the end of the season and become the central senior figure to help the Gunners secure a top-four finish.
However, amid no sign of a new contract for the 30-year-old Arsenal striker, it is safe to assume Lacazette that could leave the club on a Bosman move at the end of the term. There was interest in the previous window, as the Frenchman even rejected a move to Newcastle United.
OL president Jean-Michel Aulas: “We’ll do our best to sign Alexandre Lacazette in June”, he said. ?? #OL
Lacazette’s out of contract with Arsenal in June. “We’ve always remained in contact with him”, OL director Ponsot confirmed. #AFC pic.twitter.com/ypmoNJYo3C
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 2, 2022
When his contract expires, he will have plenty of other offers from clubs trying to sign him on a Bosman move, with former club Lyon already expressing an interest in the French striker. The Ligue 1 giants have also been looking at his teammate Nicolas Pepe, only for Arsenal to refuse to discuss any potential move.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has been vocal about his desire to bring Lacazette back to the club, where he spent his entire career before joining Arsenal. The idea of signing the 30-year-old striker on a free transfer could be appealing for Los Gones.
While Lacazette could still attract offers from some big clubs, he could ponder making a return to Lyon and help them achieve their goals in France. As quoted by Fabrizio Romano, Jean-Michel Aulas confirmed Lyon’s intention of signing the Arsenal striker in the next window when he will be a free agent.
Aulas said, “We’ll do our best to sign Alexandre Lacazette in June.” Meanwhile, the Ligue 1 club’s director of football Vincent Ponsot said, “We’ve always remained in contact with him.”
It could certainly be an interesting move for Lyon if they can pull it off. Lacazette is currently on big wages at Arsenal and certainly is aware that other clubs may not pay him as much. However, he could be set to secure a long contract if he decides to return to Lyon, although it could be a tricky move to accomplish if other suitors emerge in the Frenchman’s pursuit.
