Monday, June 17, 2013

Arsenal braced for Koscielny bids from Barcelona and Bayern Munich


Barcelona and Bayern Munich have both made enquiries for the France international and are prepared to offer him a bumper pay rise to move to the continent while the Gunners have slapped a €23.5 million price tag on the 27-year-old in an attempt to ward off interest from the two big hitters.

, with a growing acceptance among the Emirates Stadium hierarchy that they are vulnerable if the centre-back pushes for a move.

"Laurent is part of a shortlist of two clubs," said Courbis. "Bayern or Barca have not contacted the player to discuss a possible transfer but I know that [he] is part of a shortlist of three or four players from both clubs."

Arsenal fear that Koscielny could be tempted by a big offer from either team. The 27-year-old has four years remaining on the £75,000-a-week contract that he signed last summer but the two continental giants could both offer him a salary worth more than £100,000 a week as well as a chance to play for two of Europe's elite clubs.

Koscielny caught the eye of Guardiola and Barcelona's top brass when Arsenal beat the recently crowned Spanish champions 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium in a first-leg Champions League tie in February 2011. He was also outstanding in the Gunners' 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena in the first knockout stage of this season's tournament.

The Gunners face a battle to hang on to their in-demand defender this summer following enquiries from the two European giants for the €23.5 million-rated Frenchman