Bordeaux agree fee for Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny

Bordeaux have had a bid approved by Arsenal to sign defender Laurent Koscielny. The French veteran centre-back will make a move back to Ligue 1 for a transfer fee of around 5 million euros, with the former France international signing a two year contract with his new club.

After 9 years service at the club, Koscielny had hoped to leave North London on a free transfer, but his request had been turned down by club executive Raul Sanllehi, who requested at least 8 million euros. In addition, manager Unai Emery had no intention of selling the French captain.

However, the latest bid from Bordeaux has been accepted and Koscielny will fly in to France today to discuss personal terms with his likely next destination.

Koscielny had refused to travel with his teammates on a pre-season tour and the club released a statement then: "We are very disappointed by Laurent’s actions, which are against our clear instructions.

"We hope to resolve this matter and will not be providing any further comment at this time."

Most recently Bordeaux manager Paulo Sousa said of Koscielny: "He is a player that every team would like to have because of his experience, the quality of his play and everything that he represents in football."