Alexandre Lacazette has revealed Lyon star Anthony Lopes was contacting him “every week for six months” before his return to the club.
The 31-year-old sealed a move back to the Ligue 1 giants on Thursday, signing a three-year contract at the club for which he made his breakthrough.
Lacazette joined Arsenal in 2017 in a deal worth up to £52m and won the FA Cup in 2020, with manager Mikel Arteta paying tribute to a “fantastic leader” upon his departure.
The forward cited a desire to help Lyon return to European competition after a disappointing season saw them finish 8th in Ligue 1 and fall to West Ham in the Europa League quarter-finals.
Speaking at his official unveiling, Lacazette said: “There have been a lot of changes since I left. The club is progressing well. Antho (Lopes), he has been writing to me every week for six months to find out if I have made my decision.”
Lopes joined Lyon in the summer of 2012 and the pair made 173 appearances together before Lacazette’s move to England half a decade later.
Lacazette also claimed he was trying to convince 2018 World Cup winner Corentin Tolisso to move back to the Groupama Stadium.
“I’m also pushing for Corentin Tolisso to join,” he said at his press conference.
The French international joined Bayern Munich in 2017 and will leave the German giants later this month after failing to agree a new deal.
