Former France international Alexandre Lacazette has returned to Ligue 1 side Lyon on a free transfer.
This Might be a big blow to Arsenal’s attacking field as he has been playing a critical role in the club’s performance in the premier league.
Lacazette has been with the Gunners for five years after he joined Arsenal for a then club-record fee of Sh6.8 billion (£46.5 million/$58 million).
The 31-year-old striker underwent a medical on Wednesday before signing a three-year contract with the club where he made his name after coming through the youth system.
Lyon said in a statement that Lacazette’s return had been a priority for several months to “infuse a new dynamic” into the team which finished a disappointing eighth in last season’s championship.
Lacazette – capped 16 times from 2013 to 2017 – scored 129 goals in 275 matches in his previous spell at Lyon before Arsenal came calling in 2017 when Arsene Wenger was still in charge.
The deal – up to £52.6m with add-ons – surpassed the £42.4m that Arsenal paid Real Madrid for Mesut Ozil in 2013.
He went on to score 71 goals in 206 appearances for the Gunners winning the FA Cup in 2017 and was a member of the side that lost in the 2019 Europa League final.
He was handed the captaincy last season after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – who has since joined Barcelona – was stripped of it due to a disciplinary breach.
