Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane will look to further strengthen his options heading into the business end of the season, as he prepares to sign Arsenal’s talismanic centre-back Laurent Koscielny.
The Frenchman’s contract at the Emirates Stadium runs until 2019 but the Real Madrid hierarchy are confident that a £37.8 million bid should be enough to tempt Arsenal to let go of the big defender’s services.
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Zizou seems to have found a stable partnership at the heart of his defence in Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, but with uncertainty surrounding the fitness of Pepe, the French manager is keen to strengthen Real’s defensive depth.
According to reports in Spain, Zidane feels Varane is not quite the finished article yet and Koscielny would be the ideal foil to facilitate Varane’s further development, also ensuring Real’s defence is firmly secure.
Arsenal have conceded the third fewest goals in the Premier League this season, only behind leaders Chelsea and North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Los Blancos are not looking just at Koscielny’s defensive abilities, his goalscoring ability is also an asset to any side.
This season, he has scored two goals, against Southampton and Burnley. In the game against the Clarets, he rescued the Gunners in injury time to give them all three points after it looked all along like they would have to settle for a solitary point.
Koscielny currently earns a reported figure of £75,000 per week but Real are ready to increase those wages and make his earnings on par with their Portuguese defender, Pepe. The figure is reportedly £110,000 per week.
Real would love to add the Frenchman to their squad as soon as possible as they are still competing on all three fronts and the fixtures will come thick and fast once the winter break finishes on January 6th. Zidane has already made it clear that squad rotation is the only way forward in such a busy schedule.
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Zizou said, “They [the players] know that anything can happen. Squad rotation is an idea that I have.” He added, “It is important that all players who play the game are 100% ready and it is difficult for the same players to play every game.”
Los Merengues are currently six points clear of Barcelona in La Liga, and have qualified for the knockout rounds of the Champions League, albeit in second place from their group. There is a possibility that Real could face Arsenal in the Round of 16 and it will be intriguing to see which side Koscielny lines up for if the draw throws up a clash between the two teams.
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