Lacazette Rejoins Lyon Five Years After Leaving Club

Ayomikun Elemikan

Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette has rejoined Ligue 1 giants Lyon on a free transfer – five years after departing to join the North London side for a then club record £46.5m.

Lacazette, who returns to the French club on a three-year contract until June 2025, scored 54 goals in 158 Premier League games for Arsenal and helped the club win the 2020 FA Cup final.

The 31-year-old Frenchman holds the record for the most goals scored in a Ligue 1 season by a Lyon player (28 in 2016-17).

Speaking to Canal Plus in April, Lacazette said he had “never cut contact” with hometown club Lyon.

Meanwhile, Lyon said they were “very proud and very happy” to announce Lacazette’s return to the club he joined at the age of 12, adding a deal “has been the club’s priority for several months”.

Lacazette rose through the youth ranks at Lyon and netted 129 times in 275 outings in all competitions for them after fighting his way into the first team in the 2009-10 season.

With Lacazette’s deal expiring at the close of June, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted in April that Arsenal took a risk in delaying talks with the player about a new contract.

“It is the agreement that we made with him. That was our position and our position remains the same – that is what we are going to do,” Arteta added at the time.

“The risk of that happening, it was always there since the moment we made that decision, then it is up to him.”