Mikel Arteta: 'Lacazette talks to take place at end of season'

Mikel Arteta has insisted that he will sit down with Alexandre Lacazette to discuss his Arsenal future at the end of the season.

The Frenchman's existing contract is due to expire in under six months' time, and he has been tipped to end his Gunners stint after five years in order to return to Lyon.

Lacazette has struggled for goals this term but dons the captain's armband for the Gunners and provided two assists in Sunday's 3-2 Premier League victory at Watford.

Arteta has refused to rule out the prospect of Lacazette staying at the club, telling reporters: "I said to you, at the end of the season where we know where we are, we'll sit down with those three players [out-of-contract] and between all of us, we'll decide what we do to move forward.

"I think he's had really good moments in terms of goal-scoring records, probably better than what he's doing right now, but for what we ask of him and for what I ask of him and the contribution that I need from him, I think he's doing really, really well."

Lacazette has amassed five goals and eight assists in 26 matches for Arsenal this term, taking his total for the club to 70 goals and 36 assists in 196 appearances since 2017.