Laurent Koscielny joined Arsenal in a £9.7million deal from Lorient in 2010 but this summer he is desperate to head back to France as Bordeaux are interested in signing him up.
And in a bid to force his way out of the club, the Gunners captain has chosen to revolt by now going to the US for Arsenal’s pre-season tour.
In a statement on Thursday, Arsenal said: “Laurent Koscielny has refused to travel to the US for our pre-season tour.
“We are very disappointed by Laurent’s actions, which are against our clear instructions.
“We hope to resolve this matter and will not be providing any further comment at this time.”
Initial reports had suggested that Arsenal had started disciplinary action against Laurent Koscielny and the centre-back could be stripped off his captain’s armband.
Now though if reports are to be believed then Unai Emery has made up his mind to get rid of the defender and are now planning to make a move for Benfica defender Ruben Dias.
“Arsenal have reignited their interest in Benfica defender Ruben Dias,” the Daily Mail are reporting.
“Arsenal’s need for a new central defender has intensified after captain Laurent Koscielny went on strike and refused to board the plane for the club’s tour of America.”
The Gunners had made initial enquiries regarding Ruben Dias during the start of the summer but that plan was eventually scrapped as the youngster proved to be too expensive a signing.
Now though, with Laurent Koscielny trying to force a way out of the club, Emery has no option but to move for Dias once again.
It has been reported that the Benfica defender has a release clause of around £54million which is more than the Gunners’ whole transfer budget for the summer.
So it would be interesting to see if Arsenal do actually try and sign Ruben Dias as a direct replacement for Laurent Koscielny.
