Arsenal pair Bacary Sagna and Lukasz Fabianski are reportedly set to leave the Emirates in the summer, with the defensive duo rejecting contract extensions to stay at the club.
The Gunners, who were hammered 5-1 by Liverpool on the weekend, are to lose both Sagna and Fabianski for nothing in summer, according to the Daily Star, with both players’ contracts set to expire come the end of the season.
Fabianski, who has played second fiddle to compatriot Wojciech Szczęsny for the last three seasons, has announced his intention to leave North London in search of regular first-team football,
“I want to be No.1 in the club and in the Polish national team. I have learned a lot at London during very positive and challenging periods,” said the 28-year-old Poland international,
“With biggest respect to this great club, I didn’t accept the extension offer as I am looking forward to a new challenge in England or abroad.”
More damaging Arsenal would be the departure of first choice right-back Sagna, who has also reportedly chosen not to extend his contract.
The 30-year-old Frenchman, who has been at the club since 2007, looks likely to leave for free in the summer, and there is no shortage of admirers for his signature, with Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Monaco just a few to have shown recent interest in the defender.
The Star reports that Sagna has already informed his teammates of his intentions to leave the club, with the defender unhappy over the current terms of the contract extension on offer.
Having stayed loyal to the club despite a whole host of star names abandoning the Gunners, Sagna feels he is entitled to a pay rise, but the deal on the table contains the same £60,000-per-week he has been on since 2008.
With both Sagna and Fabianski on the verge of leaving, Arsene Wenger will surely dip into the summer transfer market for defensive reinforcement, with the Arsenal boss keen to build upon the successes of the current season, regardless of the potential damage inflicted by the Liverpool loss last Saturday.
What do you think? Will Arsenal miss the pair? Let me know in the comments below…
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