Arsene Wenger admits Bacary Sagna not close to signing a new deal

Bacary Sagna

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed the club are no closer to agreeing a new deal to keep defender Bacary Sagna at the Emirates, reports Goal.

The right-back’s current deal expires in the summer but he has failed to negotiate a new contract and appears to be unwilling to commit his long term future to the North Londoners, despite reports earlier in the month that he was on the verge of putting pen to paper on a new contract.

Under current rules the France international is free to talks to other clubs and is believed to have received offers from a trio of teams, including Internazionale and Ligue 1 pair Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco.

Sagna joined from Auxerre for an undisclosed fee in 2007 and has become a permanent fixture in Wenger’s back line in recent seasons, but is believed to have requested a two year extension to his deal at £60,000 a week. The Gunners were unwilling to accept the player’s demands and initial negotiations between the two parties broke down.

However, talks have now re-opened but Wenger has admitted an agreement is yet to be reached, delivering a somewhat blunt response when pressed on whether the club had made any progress on the 31-year-old, replying, ”No, he is not close to signing [a new deal]. It is an ongoing process.”

Sagna’s experience and proven Premier League pedigree will be difficult to replace. With time running out the club may cave to his demands or risk having a sizeable hole to fill in their back line this summer as there is a distinct lack of quality right-backs currently available.

Only Mesut Ozil (86) has attempted more crosses for Arsenal this season than Bacary Sagna (77).