Frenchman has shone for Marseille for a number of years now.
Arsenal are now set to go head to head with rivals Liverpool in the battle to sign exciting Olympique de Marseille midfielder Mathieu Valbuena at the end of the season, according to reports in the Daily Mirror.
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The Merseyside giants have been heavily linked with the France international over the course of the past few weeks, and now it seems that the north London club are also keen on landing Valbuena.
And what is more, Gunners head coach Arsene Wenger will have been encouraged by a recent interview that the playmaker gave to French TV indicating his desire to possibly leave the South of France at the end of the campaign to try out a new challenge in his career elsewhere.
“A departure? To discover something else next season could be interesting,” he told French broadcaster Telefoot.
“My goal is to make a great second half of the season in the club and make a great World Cup.
“It’s been eight years since I am here at l’OM. I’ve never hidden that an experience abroad tempts me. We’ll see.”
Valbuena currently has a contract with the Ligue 1 giants that ties the 29-year-old to the Stade Velodrome until June 2017.