Alexandre Lacazette is likely to leave Arsenal when his current contract expires at the end of the season, according to reports.

The striker has been linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium throughout this year, with rumours of an exit circulating both in January and the summer.

Lacazette remains in north London for now, but he finds himself on the periphery of Mikel Arteta’s squad.

The Frenchman has only been on the field for 31 minutes of Arsenal’s five Premier League matches to date.

He did start – and got on the scoresheet – in the 3-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon in the League Cup on Wednesday.

But that simply underlines the fact that Lacazette is not considered part of Arteta’s first-choice XI.

The former Lyon frontman is out of contract in 2022, and Le10Sport reports that he is unlikely to sign a new deal.

That could lead to Arsenal making him available for transfer when the market reopens in January.

Atletico Madrid have been linked with Lacazette in the past and remain interest in him, according to the French publication.

Yet it is not clear exactly where he would fit in at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, with Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann and Joao Felix already on the books.

Diego Simeone admires Lacazette, though, and believes he would be an astute addition on a free transfer.

The 30-year-old could even sign a pre-contract agreement with Atletico in January.

Arsenal might prefer to cash in on him in the winter window, but a move next summer is more likely.

“The situation with Laca we will address in the summer, speak to him and just propose the future we want and that’s it,” Arteta said in April.

“Everything is related to where we are, how much we win and where we are playing next season.

“There are no exceptions and we all need to be clear with that, with the context we have right now in our industry.”