Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that right-back Bacary Sagna could walk away from the Emirates at the end of the season for nothing after refusing to sign an extension to his contract.
Next week will be Sagna’s 31st birthday, and Saturday when he takes the field to play Liverpool at Anfield will mark his 200th Premier League appearance for the club.
Reports in the Daily Mirror are saying that Arsenal has offered him a new two-year deal on £70,000 per-week but the Frenchman wants three years on a larger salary.
A host of clubs are willing to sign the free agent in the summer including the big spending pair of Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain.
Wenger has been very upbeat on the prospect of keeping Sagna, but admits it is still a worry as Arsenal competes for three trophies.
“When I say I expect, it’s more that I want (him to stay),” said Wenger. “I hope that in the end I am right. We are not close at the moment.
“He wants to keep his options open, because he is at the end of a contract. It is an important contract for him. He is 31 years old. I can understand.
“Because he is a defender we are ready to give him more than one year.
“I’m not alright with that (Sagna keeping his options open) because I would like him to sign just now but I have to accept it. It is his freedom – the decision belongs to him.
“We are always in negotiations with him and we try always to be fair with him. I believe his future is here and any other decision would be wrong.”
The Arsenal manager added: “He’s fantastic, not only a great player but a fantastic attitude.
“You know when you start the game that Bacary Sagna will give you 100 per cent commitment and no matter where you play, against whom you play, he will just commit 100 per cent.
“That is a fantastic guarantee. I believe that his future is here and any other decision would be wrong.
“He can cover in central defence and in the future he will play more central than on the flank.”
