Alexandre Lacazette faces a return to Olympique Lyon. The Arsenal striker has an expiring contract and can therefore be picked up by Lyon on a free transfer at the end of June. The French L’Equipe reports on Thursday that the official announcement about the transfer from Lacazette to Lyon is not long in coming. Should the transfer go through, this means that Lacazette will return to the old nest where he had a very successful time in the past.
Lacazette made his professional football debut with Lyon in the 2009/10 season. The Frenchman earned a transfer to Arsenal seven seasons later with 29 league goals in 30 official games. In London, the player never fully convinced. Last season, he scored four goals in thirty games. The French daily reports on Thursday that the 31-year-old striker is close to a return to Lyon.
L’OL a convaincu son ancien buteur Alexandre Lacazette de revenir au club, après cinq saisons à Arsenal, où il était en fin de contrat. L’annonce est imminente. https://t.co/lFaUNHvzLv pic.twitter.com/L2WhS6yuKB
— L’ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) June 2, 2022
A reunion between Lacazette and Lyon had been in the air for some time. For example, in mid-April, Lacazette already openly flirted with his former employer. “I am in talks with many clubs, I am open to several things. I want to play European football. Since I left, I have never broken contact with Lyon. I try to go back to the club once or twice a year. Lyon know that I am transfer-free. We’ll see,” the goalkeeper opened the door to a return in conversation with Canal+ wide open. Incidentally, Lyon missed a European ticket last season, but that turns out not to be a bummer for Lacazette in the event of a definitive transfer.
In February, general manager Vincent Ponsot and president of the club Jean-Michel Aulas also announced that they saw a return of Lacazette during the announcement of the temporary arrival of Tanguy Ndombele. “He’s a player who arouses our interest through everything he’s accomplished here. We have noticed his maturity and the club has always kept in touch with him.” Aulas made it clear that the club would do everything it could to entice the French striker to return to Lyon. “We will make every effort to capture Lacazette in June.”
If the transition becomes final, it will mean a reunion between trainer Peter Bosz and Lacazette. The two met in 2017 when Bosz and his then employer Ajax met Lyon in the semi-finals of the Europa League. The team from Amsterdam won over two games, despite two goals from Lacazette, by losing 3-1 after a 4-1 home win in France. Lacazette scored a total of 129 goals in 175 official appearances for the French and became Ligue 1’s top scorer in the 2014-15 season with 27 goals in 33 league matches. The Frenchman won the FA Cup in 2020 with Arsenal.
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