adminLYON. – Alexandre Lacazette has agreed a deal to return to Lyon upon the expiry of his Arsenal contract, 90min can confirm.
The 31-year-old is in the final month of his current deal at the Emirates and has failed to strike an agreement over fresh terms, with Arsenal instead prioritising a renewal of young Eddie Nketiah.
His arrival at Lyon will likely complicate the situation for Zimbabwe international forward, Tino Kadewere.
The Zimbabwean had a poor season, blighted by injuries and loss of form, and his management team are now ex-pected to meet with the Lyon officials to decide on his future at the club.
Kadewere appears to believe he will remain at Lyon but, even if he leaves, there are a number of clubs ready for his signature.
Lyon have never hidden away from admitting their desire to re-sign Lacazette, who came through the French side’s academy and netted 129 goals in 275 appearances before joining Arsenal for a club-record £46.5m in 2017.
“We will make every possible effort [to sign him],” Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas confessed in February, and 90min can confirm that talks over an agreement are close to being finalised.
Lacazette is understood to have agreed the terms of a return to his boyhood club, with just minor details left to work out before the move can be finalised.
With his contract winding down, Lacazette is preparing to leave Arsenal with a record of 71 goals and 36 assists in 206 games, with just four of those goals coming in 30 Premier League outings over this past season.
Finding more quality in attack is a key priority for Arsenal, who offloaded Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January.
Nketiah performed well towards the end of the season and has been promised regular minutes next year, but the plan is to sign at least one new striker to provide competition for the 23-year-old. – 90Min/H-Metro Reporter
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter