Olympique Lyonnais have reportedly opened talks with Alexandre Lacazette regarding an extension on his current deal.
ESPN claim that Olympique Lyonnais have opened talks with Alexandre Lacazette over a contract extension for the player. The report adds that the Ligue 1 club are keen to extend the player’s contract and end speculation regarding his future.
Lacazette was linked with a move to the Premier League throughout the summer transfer window with Arsenal and West Ham reportedly battling it out for the player’s signature. It was reported that the player was not to keen on a move to the Hammers while Arsenal failed to make a bid that would be acceptable to Lyon.
The Gunners ultimately managed to secure a forward in the form of Deportivo La Coruna player Lucas Perez in a £17m deal, which meant Wenger not going back in for his compatriot Lacazette, at least for this summer.
The 25-year-old forward has started this season in blistering form with 6 goals in 3 Ligue 1 matches so far, including a hat-trick in the season opener against AS Nancy, which is sure to attract interest from the clubs and could result in West Ham and Arsenal reigniting interest in the player.
The player’s deal is slated to run for another three years but Lyon are reportedly keen to secure his long-term future at the club by offering him a substantial raise in an attempt to ward-off interest from potential suitors. The report by ESPN is also in line with rumours of a new contract being offered to the player by the club with wages around the £85,000 per-week mark.
Also, the new deal is likely to bump up his transfer fee in case Lyon do decide to listen to offers for the player, which could land the club a healthy premium on the bids received in the current transfer window.
It would be interesting to see whether Lacazette is able to keep his current form going till January, which could open the doors to a move to a more illustrious league and club.
While West Ham would retain interest in the player, Arsenal are unlikely to come back for the player after the capture of Lucas Perez but if the Spaniard and/or Giroud fail to lead the lines well for the Gunners, Wenger might just decide to jump in to sign the French superstar.
