Arsenal make offer for Sevilla defender
Sevilla have claimed that English Premier League outfit Arsenal have made a bid for their defender Sebastien Squillaci.
The 30-year-old France international had asked his club not to include him in their 1-0 UEFA Champions League play-off defeat away to Braga yesterday to avoid being cup-tied in the competition and make him a more attractive proposition for any potential suitors.
Arsenal’s spokesperson declined to comment on the alleged bid to sign Squillaci, but a statement on Sevilla’s official website said that: "Sebastien Squillaci's future is in the air. As was confirmed by sporting director Ramon Rodriguez at the airport in Porto, the club have received an offer from Arsenal.”
After losing three veteran central defenders this summer - Sol Campbell, William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre – Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has been shopping for players to boost his defensive line. He signed Laurent Koscielny from Lorient while Johan Djourou returned from a long-term knee injury towards the end of last season. However, Wenger will need to sign one more player as he has just three recognised centre-halves to choose from.
Asking price
The La Liga club are believed to have held an emergency meeting of their board today to discuss the offer from the North London giants for the player’s services, but it is not clear if Arsenal have met Sevilla’s reported asking price of eight million euros.
Squillaci started out his career with hometown club Toulon before making the move to Monaco in 1998. He played a big part in helping the club to the UEFA Champions League final and won the Coupe De La Ligue in his eight years with Monaco.
In 2006, Squillaci moved to Ligue 1 giants Olympique Lyonnais on a four-year deal. He helped Lyon to secure league titles in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, as well as a Trophee des Champions victory. In July 2008, he moved on to Sevilla in a £5m deal and helped the club win the Copa Del Rey in 2010.
Squillaci has also become a regular at international level, having won 20 caps for France. He was part of the squad which played at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
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