Alexandre Lacazette has ‘fully decided’ to leave Arsenal with Atletico Madrid his preferred destination.

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrate after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium on October 22, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrate after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium on October 22, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Alexandre Lacazette’s contract is up in the summer and there has been no new contract offer from Arsenal nor even any reports that there are talks.

Speaking around 10 days ago, Mikel Arteta was asked about any possibility of a new deal for the Frenchman, who remains very popular in the squad.

Arteta admitted that ‘anything was possible’ before being asked if the club could even extend his deal for another year.

“That’s a strategy that you can use,” Arteta said. “When you do it, you can do it a year before, you can do it during the season or at the end of the season. There are very different ways.

“Every player acts differently and needs a different level of motivation and then a different level of confidence and reassurance that he’s got the trust and belief of the club. Every case is different.”

As you can read, there is no sign in those comments that Arteta is interested in keeping Lacazette around any longer than he has to.

Had it not been for Atletico Madrid’s transfer ban, Lacazette would most likely never have moved to Arsenal in 2017. He really wanted to play alongside his friend, Antoine Griezmann, now back at Atletico on loan after signing for Barcelona in 2019.

Lacazette has three goals and one assist this season but he’s only played 271 minutes. He has started just two games – against Aston Villa last week and AFC Wimbledon in the League Cup.

What we’ve seen from Lacazette this season in his fleeting appearances has impressed most fans but, sadly, it doesn’t look like he’s doing it for Arsenal rather than to secure a move to his preferred destination.