MIKEL ARTETA has confirmed Arsenal will hold contract talks with Alexandre Lacazette at the end of the season.
The striker, 29, is the Gunners’ second top scorer this term after finding the net 13 times.
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That has led to a host of clubs beginning to circle as the Frenchman prepares to enter the final 12 months of his deal at the Emirates.
Atletico, Real Madrid, Roma and Sevilla have all been linked with moves for Lacazette.
The star has been happy to keep his options open and knows he will be able to negotiate with clubs abroad from next January ahead of a free transfer away.
But Arsenal boss Arteta hopes to keep the influential attacker and confirmed again today he will hold discussions with the player in the summer.
Ahead of this weekend’s home clash with Liverpool, the Spaniard said: “I’m always happy when people talk about our players and speculate – that means they are doing well and getting attention from other clubs.
“The situation with Laca we will address in the summer, speak to him and just propose the future we want and that’s it.
“Now I just want players focused and only focused on performing and getting the best out of them for the team.”
Lacazette, who recently bagged the winner in the North London derby against Tottenham, is arguably enjoying his richest vein of form since his arrival in the capital from Lyon in 2017.
Arteta agrees, but he also called for that level of consistency to continue as they look to try and seal European football next term.
He added: “Yes I think he has been really good, in really god form for months now. He is sustaining that level, scoring goals and providing the team with something different as well.
“His workrate has been phenomenal and it’s what we want.
“We need those types of players hitting the best level when we want to have the chance to do that because over the course of the season we have been missing goals, that creativity in the final third and we need those players to step in and make the difference for the team.”
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