AC Milan have been offered the chance to sign Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, and Mikel Arteta has come out in the open about his future.
Lacazette has no agreement with the Gunners as he has entered the final year of his existing deal at the Emirates. The 30-year-old has gone from being a star man to somewhat of an afterthought as has made just three Premier League appearances so far this season, but he did score a last gasp equaliser against Crystal Palace on Monday night.
Arteta spoke during a press conference and was asked about what the future of Lacazette may hold including whether a contract renewal is still possible.
“It’s the situation that we have and we have to accept it. I cannot ask anything from the player… and it’s not an individual situation because it has a knock-on effect,” he said (via Sky).
“All of this we have had to deal with in the past and still now, we have to see what the best option is for everybody at the end of the season. I had no doubts about that [his motivation] and if I did I would probably have decided to do something different in the summer if the motivation was just his financial future.
“It’s not the case with Laca and he has shown that since I’ve been here every single day and he remains a really important player for us. I think he was able to transmit that energy [against Crystal Palace] and that was contagious for the rest of the team and for the stadium.
“He created a different atmosphere straight away, with his determination and his quality and he tried to change the result straight away and [had] that belief in himself that he could do it.”
When asked whether it is impossible that Lacazette will be offered a new deal, Arteta replied: “No. Anything is possible. He is our player, and I treat him like any other player, I’m not going to treat him differently because he has a year left or not a year left and that is what he deserves.”
According to the latest from Calciomercato.com, the former Lyon striker has been offer to Inter, Milan and Roma for next season by his agent, meaning a new adventure in Italy could well be on the cards for the 30-year-old.
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Milan should get Hauge back. I think he has a lot of talent and he would have helped a lot during this rough times which Milan is experiencing it. He was a real prospect for the team indeed and the team is letting him go. Also Pellegri should play more. I think Milan should start forgetting about Kessie if he doesn’t want to accept any deal. Tonali and Bennacer are the future of Milan midfield. But they shouldn’t have another drama as last season with Donnarumma and Calhanoglu. Lacazatte will be the same as Giroud. So I don’t see anything positive about getting him
Nah, just sign Belotti. He is a ACM fan, has good stats even playing for mediocre team, younger than Lacasette, has less salary demands, and very familiar with Serie A.