Laurent Koscielny to join Bordeaux as Arsenal agree fee

Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny will finally join French outfit Bordeaux this summer, according to reports. The Gunners have agreed on a £4.6m fee with the club while their skipper has already had personal terms in place ahead of a move.

Koscielny was keen on joining Bordeaux this summer with only a year left on his current contract. He had hoped that Arsenal would let him leave on a free transfer. However, the Londoners were adamant on letting their captain go without receiving any monetary compensation.

Amidst the row between him and the club, The Frenchman refused to take part in Arsenal’s USA tour. Gaffer Unai Emery tried to convince the defender into extending his stay but to no avail.
The coaches at Arsenal had hoped that the 33-year-old’s experience would come in handy as they nurture new-comer William Saliba.

Koscielny is set to have a medical at Bordeaux on Tuesday as the Gunners are looking at options to replace the defender. Emery has eyes on Juventus center-back Daniel Rugani but the club are far off from the price quoted by the Bianocneri for their player. It is said that Juventus want at least £50m for the Italian defender.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are planning to offload Carl Jenkinson as well and are in talks with Nottingham Forest regarding the same.