Mikel Arteta says Arsenal won’t be discussing Alexandre Lacazette’s contract until the end of the season, even though that’s when it expires.
Alexandre Lacazette’s contract has been a hot topic in recent weeks, particularly following the striker’s return to the Premier League starting lineup for Arsenal.
Lacazette’s current deal in North London only takes him to next summer, yet Mikel Arteta says they won’t be discussing an extension until the end of the season.
“I don’t know there is so much stuff,” Arteta told his press conference on Friday.
“What I can say is I’m really happy with what Laca is doing. We’re not going to be talking about any of that until the end of the season.”
Writing for The Athletic, David Ornstein reported this week that Lacazette may yet remain at Arsenal beyond this summer, despite his expiring contract.
As he mentioned in his press conference, Arteta has been impressed by Lacazette in training, as have other members of the Arsenal staff.
According to Ornstein, Arsenal aren’t ruling out an extension, but only under certain conditions.
For a start, it would have to be a short-term extension. Arsenal don’t want to tie themselves to Lacazette for the long term when they have up-and-coming youth strikers and may want to invest at centre-forward in the transfer market.
The club also don’t want to be burdened with another big salary, so Lacazette presumably wouldn’t be getting Mesut Ozil or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wages.
It remains to be seen what Lacazette thinks about that. At this point in their careers, many players often understandably push for one last big payday, and Arsenal don’t seem to be offering that.
But right now, Lacazette is an important player in the Arsenal team. He’s made himself a starter again, alongside Aubameyang.
If he values that feeling of importance enough to stick around for at least one or two more seasons, he could always follow the money after that.