Arsenal have no intention of letting captain Laurent Koscielny leave for nothing this summer and will demand any suitors pay £8.8m for his services, claims the London Evening Standard.
Koscielny has refused to go on Arsenal’s pre-season tour of the United States in a stunning bid to force through a move away from the Premier League outfit this summer.
The veteran centre-back has entered the final 12 months of his existing £100,000-a-week Arsenal contract and has offers of longer deals on the table from clubs in France.
Bordeaux are reportedly willing to offer the 33-year-old a three-year deal to prise Koscielny back to France, which Arsenal have no interest in matching, but Unai Emery’s side are yet to receive any formal approaches for their captain.
Arsenal are furious with Koscielny’s behaviour, who has requested a free transfer this summer, and even released a statement on Thursday condemning the attitude of the former France international.
The north London outfit are already working on a restricted budget this summer and losing Koscielny for nothing is simply not an option for the Gunners, particularly as imminent signing William Saliba will spend next season on loan at Saint-Etienne.
Arsenal actually had a better win ratio in the Premier League last season when Koscielny didn’t start (60%) compared to when he did feature from the off (46.2%).
