Mikel Arteta has dropped the clearest hint yet that Arsenal are ready to give Alexandre Lacazette a longer deal.
Lacazette, 30, is out of contract this summer and has rejected a new one year extension while his former club Lyon are ready to sign him on a free transfer and give him a three year deal. Arsenal are facing a major dilemma over their strikers because they allowed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to leave on a free transfer and join Barcelona in January while Eddie Nketiah is also running down his deal and could leave for nothing this summer.
They are reluctant to give long deals to 30-somethings especially after bad recent experiences with Mesut Ozil and Aubameyang who signed lucrative contracts but ended up having to be paid off. Lacazette has managed just four goals in the Premier League this season but Arteta believes his overall contribution to the team is the biggest reason he wants the France star to stay.
Arsenal could be willing to give him a one year contract with a 12 month extension or more lucrative terms as a reward of a fixed deal if they clinch a place in next season’s Champions League.
Gunners boss Arteta said: “I think with Alex it's very clear what he brings to the team. He's shown it consistently since I've been here, and what we have to resolve is the contractual timing, in the best possible way, and when we all align on the same page.”
Lacazette has been vital in the dressing room having taken over the armband from Aubameyang and, having matured in his later years, the Arsenal striker is now seen as an important figure and leader for the group.
Arsenal want Lacazette to stay, they have Folarin Balogun out on loan at Middlesbrough but will also try for a big name striker signing this summer with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ollie Watkins among their targets.
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They will be a more attractive proposition if they reach the top four and Champions League cash would also give them more to spend. Lacazette will be hoping to help Arsenal continue their good form when they welcome Liverpool to the Emirates on Wednesday.
Arteta's side are now in the driving seat for a top-four finish and qualification for the Champions League, and the Spaniard is welcoming the added pressure.
"Well, that’s the pressure of playing for this club, to be the best and we’re not there yet," Arteta noted in Tuesday's news conference. "If the objective is that, it’s not pressure.
"It has to be a motivation, a challenge and a clear understanding that the purpose to play for this club is only to be the best and what we’ve done so far means absolutely nothing and I think everybody has to be encouraged and empowered by the possibility to find ways to improve and get better.
"Winning another game in this league always gives you momentum. Being able to beat the most in-form team in the country would be really, really big so that’s the aim tomorrow."
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