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Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny could buy out the remainder of his contract to secure his exit from North London.
Koscielny infuriated Arsenal bosses and fans on Thursday when he refused to go on the club’s pre-season tour to the United States, in an apparent bid to force a move out of the club. The 33-yer old defender still has a year left on his current contract at the Emirates, but talks about a further year extension have broken down.
Meanwhile, Bordeaux are thought to have offered him a three year deal to return to his homeland and Ligue 1, but are deterred by the asking price which Arsenal have slapped on him of up to £10 million.
Now, in order to get the move that he wants, Koscielny – who has not yet been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy, although it is surely only a matter of time- may choose to buy out the remainder of his £90,000 a week salary, a move which could cost him up to £4.5 million.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.