Arsenal delay Alexandre Lacazette contract talks as Mikel Arteta outlines plan

Arsenal will put all talk of Alexandre Lacazette signing a new deal on hold until the end of the season, says Mikel Arteta.

Having already let Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang join Barcelona in January, fellow striker Lacazette could also be on the move in the summer when his current deal expires.

Lacazette is currently free to negotiate a contract with a foreign club and it seems Arsenal are willing to gamble and wait until the end of the season before offering him an extension.

For now it seems the priority for Arsenal is trying to secure a top-four finish – they sit sixth at present, four points off fourth-placed Manchester United but have games in hand.

‘There is a chance (Lacazette signs a new deal), but we have decisions to make on three or four players in regards to the summer,’ Arteta said.

‘Starting those conversations right now, I don’t think is the right way.

‘We have spoken to all the players, what to expect, the freedom that they have because the contracts allow them to make any decisions, and with our position there.

‘That’s what we are going to do. At the end of the season, we will sit down and decide what’s the best for all the parties.’

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The former Lyon forward has scored five goals in 24 games for Arsenal so far this season.

The Gunners have several players out of contract at the end of the season including Eddie Nketiah and Mohamed Elneny.

Nketiah has been the subject of much speculation with reports suggesting he has refused to sign a new deal with the north London club.

The England Under-21 international has impressed when given the chance this term, scoring five goals in five Carabao Cup appearances, but he has