Alexandre Lacazette has completed his return to Lyon after being released by Arsenal as a free agent.

The 31-year-old forward whose contract with Arsenal expires this summer, completed his medicals with the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes based club.

Lyon have never hidden away from admitting their desire to re-sign Lacazette, who came through the French side’s academy and netted 129 goals in 275 appearances before joining Arsenal for a club-record £46.5m in 2017.

“We will make every possible effort [to sign him],” Lyon president, Jean-Michel Aulas confessed earlier this year.

Vincent Ponsot, Lyon’s director of football also added that it’s their desire to have Lacazette back. “We will continue until the end, it’s a desire for us [to bring Lacazette back].”

Lacazette scored 71 goals and provided 36 assists in 206 games for the Emirates club, with just four of those goals coming in 30 Premier League outings over this past season.

The London club captain was part of Arsenal’s 2020 FA Cup-winning team and the side that got to the Europa League final in 2019.

He took over the captain’s armband when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fell out of favour with manager Mikel Arteta last December.

Unlike Arsenal, Lyon won’t be participating in any European competition next season. After finishing eight in the 2021/2022 French Ligue 1 table.

Lacazette will team up with Castello Lukeba, Moussa Dembele and Karl Toko Ekambi in Lyon’s attack next season.

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