Alexandre Lacazette set to join Lyon following Arsenal departure

Alexandre Lacazette has agreed to rejoin Lyon this summer as his Arsenal contract comes to an end, according to reports coming out of France.

The 31-year-old joined Arsenal in 2017 for a then club-record fee of £47m, but was overshadowed by the arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang six months later, and failed to live up to the price tag placed on his head.

And, 2021-22 was by far his worst in an Arsenal shirt, with the Frenchman managing just 4 goals, 2 of which came from open play, in the top flight.

He was guilty of missing several glorious chances, with the expected goals model suggesting that he should have registered closer to 8 goals than the measly 4 that he achieved.

As a result, he was never likely to sign a new deal in north London, and L’Equipe now report that there is an announcement imminent from former club Lyon to bring him back on a free transfer.

L’OL a convaincu son ancien buteur Alexandre Lacazette de revenir au club, après cinq saisons à Arsenal, où il était en fin de contrat. L’annonce est imminente. https://t.co/lFaUNHvzLv pic.twitter.com/L2WhS6yuKB

— L’ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) June 2, 2022

Compromise reached?

In April, the France forward cast doubt on this ending, suggesting that he wanted to play Champions League football, something that 8th placed Lyon could not offer.

‘I am in discussions with a lot of clubs. I am open. I want to play in Europe, it’s been a long time since I played in the Champions League, I’m missing it’, the 30-year old told Canal plus.

Asked about the potential of a return to Lyon even should they miss out on Europe, Laca played it down, revealing that ‘Lyon knows that I am free, they have come to the information. It’s a little more complicated, nothing is impossible in life, but it’s a little more complicated.’

However, it appears that he has sacrificed that outcome in order to return home following his underwhelming Emirates spell.