Marseille’s Valbeuna look set for a transfer to the Premier League.
After openly admitting that he wants to leave Olympique Marseille, Arsenal and Liverpool target Mathieu Valbeuna has been told he can go in the summer.
The France international has been with the Ligue 1 club for nearly eight years and told French television at the end of last year that he wanted to play abroad.
“I have been here, at Marseille, for eight years now,” Valbeuna was quoted by Get Football News France in December 2013.
“I have never denied my want to try and play abroad. We shall see what happens.”
Now the 29-year-old has been told by Marseille head coach Jose Anigo that if he wants to leave the Stade Velodrome the club won’t stand in the way.
“If we received a good offer, we won’t force him to stay. He has given a lot to our club so if he wants to he can leave,” Anigo told Le10Sport.
This has put the Premier League duo on alert and it’s thought that with Valbuena contracted at Marseille until 2017 the attacking midfielder would be available for around £10m.
There may be some question marks over whether the Gunners actually need any more support in the Frenchman’s position, with Santi Cazorla, Serge Gnabry, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott and club record signing Mesut Ozil already at the Emirates Stadium.
However, Valbuena’s experience and talent is undeniable, having played in the Champions League consistently with L’OM and also earning 30 caps to date for the France national team.
Reds manager Brendan Rodgers would see the midfielder as the ideal acquisition, as the Merseysiders are lacking in the position and have recently missed out on Mohamed Salah and Yevhen Konoplyanka.
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