Premier League giants Arsenal have set their asking price for this wantaway star, the ace is attracting interest from his homeland and could leave this summer.
According to the Evening Standard, Arsenal are demanding £8.8m for wantaway star Laurent Koscielny, the club captain angered fans after he refused to travel on the side’s preseason tour, in a bid to secure a transfer back to France.
It’s understood that Ligue 1 sides Bordeaux, Lyon and Rennes are all on bringing the Frenchman back to his homeland, however, Standard Sport understand that no clubs have made a formal bid to sign the centre-back yet.
The Gunners’ club captain pushed for a move after Bordeaux suggested that they were prepared to offer the France international a three-year deal.
Koscielny then held talks with Arsenal over his future and the north London club informed him that they were only prepared to offer him a one-year extension on his current deal – which is set to expire next summer. The Gunners aren’t prepared to hand the star a new contract until they see how he deals with his longstanding achilles problem next season.
Koscielny’s displeasure stems from the fact that Gunners knocked back the star’s request to relieve him of his contract, this seems to be an incredibly bold move from the Frenchman – and one that was frankly impossible for the north London club to accept to.
Reports this summer have stressed just how tight the budget the Gunners are working with, so the cash-strapped side can hardly afford to allow one of their higher-profile players to leave on a free transfer – regardless of how long’s served the club.
The centre-back moved to the Emirates Stadium nine years ago and went on to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the league before being hit with constant injury troubles in recent years.
The 33-year-old has made 518 appearances across all competitions during his time in north London, it looks as though the star has tarnished his legacy by kicking up a fuss after his desire to move was rejected.
This is hardly how a club’s captain should be acting, especially given the circumstances Arsenal are facing, Unai Emery is seriously undermanned in defence ahead of next season; given the injuries of first-team stars Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin.
The Spaniard would have been counting on Koscielny’s experience to get through a potentially difficult period, but it seems as though the Frenchman has other plans.
