French striker Alexandre Lacazette was an unlikely hero for Arsenal over the weekend, scoring a late goal to help his club avoid a defeat against Crystal Palace. However, this apparently didn’t do much to improve his chances of staying with the club past the summer of 2022.
This was in part confirmed by Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta after he was asked about the reasons why Lacazette still doesn’t have a contract offer from the Premier League side despite being set to hit free agency at the end of the 2021-22 season.
“It depends on a lot of things, it is not just a matter of being willing. It is about being possible to fulfill that will and when, which is very important as well,” said Arteta.
Arteta didn’t want to confirm that Lacazette’s stay at Emirates Stadium is definitely coming to an end but also didn’t try too hard to deny it.
“Anything is possible,” he added.
Lacazette will be free to agree to terms with a new club as soon as January, and it appears that he will have plenty of suitors. Several high-profile clubs have reportedly shown interest in him in recent months, including La Liga sides Atletico Madrid and Sevilla.
The 30-year-old star has made just five appearances this season but managed to score three goals and add one assist regardless. Overall, he has 68 goals and 29 assists in 175 games as an Arsenal player.
