Lyon’s Gourcuff could well be on the way to the Emirates.
Olympique Lyon midfielder Yoann Gourcuff is open to the prospect of taking a pay cut in order to move to Arsenal, says the Ligue 1 side’s president Jean-Michel Aulas.
Aulas has ruled out loaning the troubled Frenchman to another side in France, further adding to speculation that the Gunners could be the eventual destination for the 27-year-old.
“Can you see us paying part of his salary for him to play against us with another French club? We’ve never considered that and it would even more stupid now than it was a fortnight ago,” the president was quoted by ITV.
“All that I know, if I understood correctly, is that he was ready to lower his salary to go to Arsenal.”
Arsene Wenger has been criticised this summer for having failed to bring any big names to the Emirates Stadium and whilst Gourcuff is hardly a marquee signing, the France international has plenty of top flight experience.
Once touted as the ‘new Zinedine Zidane’, the Lyon man’s career has been blighted by inconsistency, with successful spells at Stade Rennes and Bordeaux coming in between difficult times at AC Milan and now Lyon.
To date Gourcuff has had over £36m spent on the Frenchman in transfer fees and it is those prices that have overshadowed the quality the player often shows.
It would certainly be a gamble for Wenger to bring the midfielder to north London, but it may silence some of the fans who are disgruntled by the fact the only new acquisition this transfer window is France under-20 striker Yaya Sanogo.
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