Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny has joined Ligue 1 side Bordeaux in a deal worth a reported £5million.
The former Gunners captain has had a medical with the French club after the player had been pushing for a return to his homeland.
In a statement on the club website, Arsenal said: “We thank Laurent for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best for the future.
“We decided to sanction his move to Bordeaux once we agreed acceptable transfer terms.”
This summer Koscielny refused to go on the club’s pre-season tour to the United States and put in a request to have his contract terminated to allow him to join another club, which was rejected by the Gunners.
The Frenchman joined Arsenal in 2010 from Lorient and went on to make 353 appearances, winning the FA Cup three times in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
With the departure of Koscielny, Arsenal will be in the market for a defender and have been linked with Daniele Rugani of Juventus and RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano.