• Arsenal receive £5m offer for French left-back
ARSENAL were under attack from another of their
Premier League rivals last night after Liverpool turned to Gael
Clichy in an attempt to solve their problems at
left-back.
Liverpool have formally submitted a bid, believed to be
in the region of £5 million for the France defender who has told
Arsene Wenger he will not extend his contract, which has 12 months
left to run.
And with Manchester United making contact with the
representatives of his France midfielder Samir Nasri, Wenger is
finding himself with a battle on his hands to fend off northern
raiders.
Liverpool’s offer for Clichy follows the £20m capture
of Sunderland’s Jordan Henderson, which was formally announced last
night, and further illustrates the ambition of owners Fenway Sports
Group.
Clichy signed from Cannes in 2003 following a
recommendation by Damien Comolli, who was working for Wenger at the
time but is now director of football at Anfield.
A host of European clubs are also circling Clichy, 26
next month, and Arsenal would prefer to sell the player abroad.
Nasri, who has one year left on his current deal, said
last weekend that he wanted to know if United’s interest was
“real”, although Wenger is adamant he will not sell to Sir Alex
Ferguson’s club.
Wenger will also be reluctant to let Clichy, who is the
only member of the ‘Invincibles’ side still at the club, move to
another of Arsenal’s primary competitors but that stance could be
compromised if the defender is open to a switch to Merseyside.
Liverpool’s search for left-back reinforcements has
been exhaustive, with last summer’s signing Paul Konchesky sent out
on loan back in January and now surplus to requirements along with
Emiliano Insua.
