Alexandre Lacazette seems on his way out of Arsenal this summer and Roma fancy their chances of signing him after Arsenal turned down a move for him in the summer.
Alexandre Lacazette’s contract is up in two years and with no sign of a new one anywhere in the distance, it looks as if the club will let him go. Even if the club are undecided, this summer looks set to be a real test of their desire to keep Lacazette in the Arsenal squad.
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I can’t help but think that desire is severely lacking, despite Mikel Arteta’s words.
Back in November, it was revealed that Arsenal turned down a late offer from Roma for Lacazette as they didn’t believe it was high enough. Not because they desperately wanted to keep him, the offer just wasn’t good enough.
Alexandre Lacazette wasn’t having a great season at that point and the patience of Arsenal fans seemed to be wearing thin with the forward.
He had three goals in nine appearances when the Roma report came out and those stats only tell part of the 29-year-old’s Arsenal story. His form and general performances were poor, prompting calls from some sections of the Arsenal fanbase for him to be sold. No doubt the same section who will be outraged when Arsenal actually do sell him.
Step forward Roma who are still said to be interested in Lacazette and could move for him this summer after missing out on him in 2020.
O Jogo in Portugal reported on The Athletics’ piece from late September and now the story is back.
Lacazette has scored a total of 59 goals, with 28 assists, in 157 games for Arsenal. To compare, Olivier Giroud scored 105, with 41 assists, in 253 games.
When you look at it in terms of goals and assists per minutes played, Giroud grabbed a goal or assist every 110 minutes. For Lacazette, it’s one every 120 minutes.
Lacazette is out of contract in 2022 and with no talk of offering him a new one and Arsenal eyeing up a number of young strikers, it’s also a chance to clear Lacazette’s inflated wages from the books.
His season picked up after the reports came out in November, netting a further eight in 21 games (with three assists) but he has played the full 90 in just seven games in all competitions (none in the Europa League, FA Cup of EFL Cup), getting a run of full 90s when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang couldn’t play, only to be stuck back on the bench as soon as Auba was back.
Juventus and Atletico Madrid are also said to hold an interest in Lacazette.
Alexandre Lacazette set to leave for the right price this summer
Alexandre Lacazette looks set to leave Arsenal this summer, with the club ready to sell if the right offer comes in.
Football.London report that Alexandre Lacazette has already decided his Arsenal future, and he looks set to leave the club this summer. The club are happy to sell, as long as they get a good price for the striker.
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The outlet names Atletico Madrid, AS Monaco, and AS Roma as potential destinations, suggesting it’s unlikely Arsenal will offer Lacazette a contract extension.
A previous Football.London report suggested Arsenal were likely to consider letting Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah leave this summer, whilst the Mirror claimed Monaco and various other European clubs had been alerted to his availability.
Lacazette had spent four games either on the bench or coming on as a late substitute before this weekend, but he started and scored against Leicester City. The goal was a penalty, but it was still a positive display from the striker in general.
The problem is that he just can’t match Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal output. Even in a largely disappointing season for the 31-year-old, he’s outscoring Lacazette in all competitions.
An exit is likely to be the only way Lacazette can realistically expect to be a first-choice striker next season. If he stays, he’d probably have to settle for a backup role in the final year of his contract.