Lacazette joins former club Lyon from Arsenal on free transfer

The 31-year-old forward, who was out of contract with Arsenal at the end of June, returned to Lyon on a three-year deal.

Lacazette left Lyon in 2017 for a then club-record 60 million euros ($64.3 million) after joining the French league side as a 12-year-old.

France striker Alexandre Lacazette is going back to Lyon.

The 31-year-old forward, who was out of contract with Arsenal at the end of June, returned to the seven-time French champions on a three-year deal.

Lacazette left Lyon in 2017 for a then club-record 60 million euros ($64.3 million) after joining the French league side as a 12-year-old. He played eight professional seasons with Lyon.

With Arsenal, Lacazette scored 71 goals in 206 appearances for the north-London club. He made an instant impact in the Premier League, scoring 94 seconds into his debut, and was Arsenal’s top scorer in two seasons. He lost his place to Eddie Nketiah over the final weeks of his last season.

Lacazette has 16 caps with France.

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Lyon, which struggled to an eighth-placed finish this season and won its last French league title in 2008, said Lacazette's return had been a priority over the last few months.

“This second signing of the off-season, which follows Remy Riou's return to the club and the prolongation of Maxence Caqueret and Anthony Lopes, is proof that the club has great ambitions to instill a new dynamic around its men’s professional squad," Lyon said in a statement Thursday.

Lacazette's comeback was announced amid media reports that Foster Gillett, the son of former Liverpool owner George Gillett, has reached an agreement to become Lyon’s majority shareholder.

Gillett was a director at Liverpool during his father’s stint as part-owner with Tom Hicks, after they bought the club in 2007. According to L'Equipe newspaper, he has reached an agreement worth 600 million euros ($640 million) with Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas, who has been running the club since 1987.