Mikel Arteta Reveals Arsenal Haven't Offered Alexandre Lacazette New Deal

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted the club are yet to open talks with Alexandre Lacazette over extending his stay at the club, despite his current deal expiring at the end of next season.

There was a feeling that the 29-year-old could be on his way out of the club this summer, with Arsenal seemingly willing to sacrifice him while he still has some resale value in order to raise transfer funds. Arteta has stood by him though, and his trust has been rewarded.

The French striker has opened the scoring in each of the Gunners' Premier League matches so far, but Arteta admitted that even though he will enter the final year of his contract in 2021/22, extending his terms is not currently a priority.

"At the moment, we haven't started any negotiations," Arteta said, per The Mirror. "We have a lot of things still to do in this market and at the moment we are focusing on those things. He's a player I'm really happy with. I think we've shown him a lot of faith since I arrived here.

"But we cannot start any speculation. We know that any player who is under two years of their contract is always going to be talked about."

Arsenal will be privately keen to secure Lacazette's future and avoid a repeat of the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saga that was finally ended earlier this month. Should he reach the summer without signing new terms, it is likely speculation over his future will only intensify, especially if his current form keeps up.

Having ended last season as one of Arsenal's most effective contributors, wrestling his starting spot back from Eddie Nketiah in the process, he has picked up where he left off with two goals in two games. He has now scored 50 goals in 129 appearances for the north London club - not bad for a striker who has so often been deemed surplus to requirements by the press.