Alexandre Lacazette: ‘I have a contract with the club so there is no point for me to leave, everybody is happy with me at the club’

ALEXANDRE Lacazette has distanced himself from speculation linking him with a move away from Arsenal this summer, insisting “there is no point” in leaving the club.

There have been growing reports this week that head coach Mikel Arteta will face the arduous task of replacing the Gunners attack should they fail to qualify for the Champions League.

However, just hours after headlines broke that Lacazette has “an understanding” that he will be allowed to target the Emirates exit if Arsenal don’t secure a place in Europe’s premier club competition next season, the French forward revealed that he is happy in north London.

Facing the press on Wednesday, ahead of the Europa League game against Olympiakos, Lacazette said: “I didn’t know about this (referring to reports of a Champions League exit clause in his contract). I have a contract with the club so there is no point for me to leave, everybody is happy with me at the club.”

Arteta also reiterated how he will do everything in his power to keep hold of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabon international has almost single-handedly saved Arsenal’s season, scoring 19 goals in 30 games.

But with Aubameyang’s current contract set to expire next summer, the north Londoners could find themselves reluctantly having to listen to offers for their star striker to avoid losing him on a free transfer.

“It’s really important to keep him. He’s one of the best, or maybe he’s been the best player this season for Arsenal,” said Arteta on Wednesday.

“Obviously I hope he’s going to stay.”

Aubameyang capped a man-of-the-match display against Everton with two goals on Sunday, and afterwards Arteta said that other clubs “were completely right” to want such “a superb player”.

He added: “He completely deserves to be liked by all the other teams. Hopefully we can convince him that this is the right place for him and that he has a future here with the club.

“I think it’s been tough for a player like him, because there’s been a lot of disappointment in the last few months or years because he has big expectations and he wants to play for the biggest clubs in the biggest tournaments.

“He wants to be up there with the best players in the world, and we have to try and support him and give him everything as a club, so that he really feels fulfilled here.

“That’s the challenge that we have.”