Saturday, 12th June 2010
Arsenal are moving quickly to replace the almost certain to leave William Gallas, with The Gunners very keen on Lorient centre back Laurent Koscielny. The 24-year-old has impressed with a Lorient side that has punched well above its weight in Ligue 1 and has attracted the attention of Arsene Wenger.
According to L’Equipe, Arsenal tested the waters with an initial bid of €10M for Koscielny, although the French club rejected this, looking for closer to €15M for their defensive star man. Despite discussions, Arsenal remain unwilling to meet Lorient’s valuation and the signs suggest that if a deal is to be done it is likely to be at a compromise amount of €13M.
Koscielny has no international caps, having not yet decided which country to represent at that level. The defender is eligible to play for Poland as well as the country of his birth, France. Lorient managed to hold onto the defender last summer in the face of interest from some Ligue 1 heavyweights, signing him to a longer term and more lucrative deal.
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