Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc is believed to be considering Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin as he searches for summer reinforcements.
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According to the Daily Star, Blanc has made Coquelin one of his key summer targets and may well look to move for the player over the coming months.
The former France boss is looking for additional options for the heart of the park, both to bolster his squad options and to put pressure on his current starters. There is also the chance that Blanc will need to be looking for replacements for the likes of Marco Verratti [Daily Mail], Thiago Motta [Le 10 Sport] and Yohan Cabaye [Daily Mail], all of whom have been linked to the exit door.
The last of these three, in particular, has been heavily linked with a move back to the Premier League, with the likes of West Ham United [Brentwood Gazette], Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur [both Metro] rumoured to be keen on the former Newcastle United man.
The coach will also be keen to strengthen his options to avoid the kind of shortage that came as the result of injuries last season; on occasion, for example, David Luiz was forced out of defence into the midfield in order to compensate for the absent Motta.
Once considered inadequate for Arsenal, Coquelin finally made his mark this club when he earned a starting spot after impressing with his tenacity and astute positioning ability.
The Frenchman established himself as the Gunners’ go-to defensive midfielder and ultimately made 22 appearances in the top flight last season, impressing as he went someway to making up for lost time.
The former Laval starlet—who has also featured for Lorient, Freiburg and Charlton on loan—has represented France at U21 level but, as yet, has not been capped at senior level.
According to The Times [via the Daily Star], the midfielder is unsure about his future at the Emirates Stadium and is awaiting confirmation from Arsene Wenger on the role he will play next season.
As well as Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin [Mirror], the likes of William Carvalho [Mirror] and Victor Wanyama [ESPN] continue to be linked with a move to Arsenal.