Report: Alexandre Lacazette will leave Arsenal if they don’t qualify for the Champions League

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Alexandre Lacazette has an agreement with the Arsenal hierarchy that will allow him to leave the Emirates Stadium if they fail to qualify for the Champions League this season.

According to The Times, the French striker will be allowed to head to pastures new if the Gunners don’t qualify for a place in European football’s elite club competition.

Arsenal are seven points behind Chelsea who currently occupy fourth place in the Premier League. The Gunners could still qualify through the Europa League, however.

Lacazette signed for Arsenal in 2017 costing the club £46.5 million from Ligue 1 outfit Lyon. He hasn’t proved a bad signing for the Gunners, scoring 44 goals in 112 appearances for the club.

This season has proved a bit of a struggle for the 28-year-old. He has netted just six times in 19 Premier League appearances; with his goal against Newcastle at the weekend his first for 10 matches.

At 28 it makes sense that Lacazette will want to head elsewhere to try and play at the highest possible level.

If the man with 16 France caps does decide to leave, it could see Mikel Arteta eye a new-look strike force next season.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is also keen to play in the Champions League and if he leaves as well, Arteta will surely target a couple of strikers.

Project

If Arsenal can keep up their current form then Arsenal have every chance of gatecrashing the top four.

Arteta has probably done enough so far to persuade several players to buy into his project and that might bode well for the summer.

Lacazette is replaceable from an Arsenal perspective. He is paid £182,000-a-week at the Emirates and his goals have dried up a little bit this season.

One thing seems certain in that the summer looks set to be a busy time for Arsenal as Arteta puts his own stamp on the squad.