Lyon president CONFIRMS interest in Alexandre Lacazette

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed that the French outfit will attempt to sign Alexandre Lacazette when the Arsenal star's contract expires this summer.

Lacazette, 30, is entering the final months of his deal with the Gunners and is looking likely to leave north London at the end of the campaign. The Frenchman is able to speak to clubs outside of England about a pre-contract agreement.

The striker joined Arsenal for £47million from Lyon in 2017 and French reports this week suggested that the Ligue 1 side were looking to bring their former captain back this summer.

Club president Aulas has revealed that Lyon have kept in contact with Lacazette since his departure and the 30-year-old is viewed as a more realistic target than Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, another of their former stars.

Speaking at the unveiling of Tanguy Ndombele following the midfielder's loan move from Spurs, Aulas said via Metro: ‘It’s Lacazette, he interests us because he marked this club.

‘It’s a profile that interests us and we have always been in contact with him. 

‘This is part of the guiding ideas brought by (new sporting director) Bruno Cheyrou. In our context, yes he (Lacazette) is more accessible than Benzema.

‘We have to try to see if we can do it as a free player but we will not be alone.’

Lacazette is expected to leave at the end of the season although reports claimed that he was considering signing a one or two-year extension.

The Frenchman will play an important role for Mikel Arteta's side for the remainder of this term after they let star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang join Barcelona for free. 

Lacazette is one of two strikers left in Arteta's squad, with youngster Eddie Nketiah's contract also ending this summer. The pair's