Arsenal transfer news: Alexandre Lacazette set to leave the Gunners as Atletico Madrid and Roma weigh up offers
The French striker has accepted that his time at Arsenal is coming to an end, with the club willing to sell him for the right price
Mikel Arteta is planning to reshape his Arsenal squad at the end of the season, and Alexandre Lacazette looks set to be one of the biggest casualties.
Lacazette, who has previously been linked with Atletico Madrid, Roma and Monaco, has just over a year remaining on his contract and the club are open to selling him for the right price this summer, according to Football London.
The French striker, who has won 16 caps for his country, has scored steadily throughout his time at the Emirates but never at the rate that was hoped for when he joined Arsenal in July 2017.
Lacazette was signed from his boyhood club Lyon for £46.5 million but was soon overtaken as the Gunners’ main goalscoring threat by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
While Aubameyang agreed a new three-year contract in September, Lacazette’s future remains unresolved, with Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli looking for more game time to continue their development.
All signs point towards a parting of the ways at the end of the season, after the 29-year-old was close to leaving Arsenal last summer.
Atletico made an offer for him, but a fee couldn’t be agreed between the two clubs and they managed to snap up Luis Suarez on a free transfer instead.
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Back when he was at Lyon, Lacazette had provisionally agreed to join Diego Simeone’s side before signing for Arsenal, but the move fell through because of Atletico’s transfer ban.
Lacazette has scored 59 goals in 157 appearances for the Gunners over the last four years, 46 of them in the Premier League, but isn’t part of Arteta’s long-term plans.
His overhaul of the team is set to continue regardless of where they finish this season, despite languishing in 10th position after Sunday’s 3-1 win over Leicester City.
Lacazette wore the armband throughout his time on the pitch and scored Arsenal's second goal from the penalty spot.
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