Away at the Euro 2016 finals where he is providing expert analysis for beIN Sport, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had hoped to use the time as a final chance to run the rule over potential transfer targets.
Instead he finds himself dealing with players who want to move on from the Emirates, with Mathieu Debuchy, 30, the latest to seek pastures new.
Turkish giants Besiktas, are the first club to make their interest known this summer and want a cut-price deal for the French international right back. With Debuchy desperate for first team football, it solves a problem quickly for Wenger.
The French defender signed for the club in 2014 from Newcastle United for £12m as a replacement for Bacary Sagna, then 31. After making a promising start to his career at Arsenal, a series of unfortunate injuries restricted him to just 15 appearances in his first season in north London.
In his absence, Spanish international Hector Bellerin, 21, was promoted to the first team and never looked back. Debuchy, unable to regain his place in the starting line-up, bemoaned his fate and openly sought a move.
Loaned to Bordeaux in January, he suffered an injury toward the end of the season which ended his faint hopes of selection in Didier Deschamps’ Euro 2016 squad.
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