Courbois Confirms Interest In £15m-Rated Koscielny – Sagna May Follow Him Out The Door

With the summer transfer window set to open, there is plenty of gossip doing the rounds in the newspapers so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest transfer rumours. Today, the agent of Laurent Koscielny confirms interest in the defender while Bacary Sagna could also leave the Emirates this summer.

The agent of Laurent Koscielny has revealed that European super powers Barcelona and Bayern Munich are both interested in signing the £15m-rated Arsenal defender this summer, according to the Mirror.

The Frenchman enjoyed an excellent finish to last season after forcing his way in to Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven and his partnership alongside Per Mertesacker at the back was a huge contributing factor in us overhauling Tottenham to finish fourth.

However, it seems that impressive form has lead to interest from abroad and the 27-year-old’s agent, Stephane Courbois, claims that both Barcelona and Bayern Munich have placed the defender on a shortlist of targets this summer. He said:

“There is interest. I know that Laurent is part of a shortlist of three or four players for both clubs.” Courbois is quoted as saying by the Mirror

Koscielny’s future was cast in doubt last week after he warned that he may be forced to leave north London in search of silverware if Arsenal don’t match his ambitions:

“I feel good at Arsenal, if we have ambition to fight against the other teams of course I want to stay here,”

“It’s hard psychologically. We are constantly pressured because if Arsenal is not in the Champions League it would be a catastrophe.

“I have to see if I have clubs interested in me. I will not go to any club. I want to may be discover another league. Paris [Saint-Germain]? There has been no contact yet.

“It is hard to not win titles year after year. We are competitors, professionals, we want to win. I want to add to my list of achievements. If Arsenal cannot allow me that, I’ll seek a move elsewhere.” Koscielny is quoted as saying by Goal.com

The good news is that the former Lorient defender still has four years to run on his contract after signing a new long-term deal just 12 months ago. Koscielny was one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League during the final three months of the season so it’s no wonder there is interest from some of Europe’s top clubs.

While I feel he’ll still be with us next season, it’s going to be difficult for him not to have his head turned if the likes of Barca or Bayern come calling with a serious offer. If he does push for a move at least we’ll be able to demand a sizable fee which I would suggest should be a lot higher than the £15m the Mirror claim he’s worth.

If Koscielny does leave he could be followed out the exit door by another French defender with the newspaper claiming that Bacary Sagna’s future remains in doubt after he admitted he could be tempted by a return to France in search of a “new challenge” with PSG and Monaco understood to be keen on the right-back.

Personally I’d like to see Bac stay for another season and help with the development of young Carl Jenkinson but if he does go I think we need to bring in an experienced replacement as Jenko isn’t quite ready to be considered as a regular first choice just yet.

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What do you think Gooners? Will Koscielny stay? Is it time Sagna left? Share your views in the comments section below.