Sagna set to hold talks with Manchester City

Bacary Sagna will hold talks with Manchester City next week as he steps up plans to find a new club.

As revealed by Goal, the Frenchman has told Arsenal he will not sign a new contract and will leave at the end of the season.

He let manager Arsene Wenger know at the end of last week that the FA Cup final against Hull City on Saturday will be his final game for the Gunners.

Sagna has attracted strong interest from Premier League big-hitters as well as clubs on the continent, including Chelsea, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.

But newly-crowned Premier League champions City are believed to be in pole position to capture the versatile full-back.

Manuel Pellegrini’s team are ready to offer Sagna a £100,000-a-week deal spread over three years, even though his premier position at right-back is the same as that of Pablo Zabaleta, one of City’s best players this season.

Arsenal had been close to an agreement with Sagna last month after offering him an £80,000-a-week, two-year deal with the option of a third year in a final attempt to keep him at the club.

However, the 31-year-old has rejected the offer and he will end his seven-year spell at Emirates Stadium after Saturday's final.

The right-back is believed to be settled with his family in England and is keen to remain in the Premier League.

Losing Sagna will be a blow to Arsene Wenger, with the player offering experience and versatility that is not easy to replace. He filled in at centre-back against Norwich City on Saturday as Wenger chose to rest Per Mertesacker ahead of the cup final.

Toulouse's Serge Aurier is currently top of Arsenal’s target list to replace Sagna. Goal revealed on Tuesday that the Gunners have opened preliminary talks with the Ligue 1 club about a £7million summer move for the Ivory Coast international, 21.

The defender, who turned 31 in February, is able to join another club on a free transfer on July 1.

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Arsenal fear Sagna will join Premier League rival

Arsenal fear Bacary Sagna will snub their final contract offer and join a Premier League rival on a free transfer.

Senior Gunners officials had been given indications that Sagna would sign a two-year extension, with the option of a third year, last week.

However, a formal agreement failed to materialise and Arsenal believe one of their longest-serving players could be about to leave in search of one mega payday.

Manchester City and Chelsea are understood to be leading the race to capture the right-back, with both clubs ready to hand him the £100,000-a-week deal he is after.

Sagna also has offers on the table from Liverpool and a string of Continental clubs led by Paris Saint-Germain but is now expected to plump for the most sizeable Premier League deal.

Losing Sagna would be a considerable blow for Arsenal, who made the Frenchman a take-it-or-leave-it offer worth more than £80,000-a-week at the end of April in a new attempt to keep him at the club.

It was an improvement on the £75,000-a-week deal already on the table, with both offers spread over two years with the option of a third year, and the Gunners hierarchy were hopeful that it would be enough for Sagna to snub other offers and commit to the club.

The right-back is believed to be settled with his family in London, but Arsenal have been reluctant to meet Sagna's demands. They do not believe it fits within their salary model to pay a full-back £100,000-a-week, which would make him the second-best paid player at the club behind Mesut Ozil, who earns £130,000-a-week.

Arsene Wenger has been heavily involved in his fellow Frenchman's contract talks despite failing to formalise his own two-year contract extension beyond this season.

Speaking recently of Sagna, be said: "We know what we want from him, he knows what is on the table and that's where we are. The ball is not in our camp anymore. It is in his camp and he needs to come back to us."

The defender, who turned 31 in February, is able to leave Emirates Stadium on a free in the summer and sign a pre-contract agreement with a new club.

Wenger has always been keen to hold onto Sagna, who has been a key figure for Arsenal this season and offers experience and versatility that would not be easy to replace.

The Gunners have looked closely at replacement right-backs in the last year, with Frankfurt's Sebastian Jung and Toulouse's Serge Aurier currently top of their target list should Sagna decide to leave.

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Sagna : It's great at Arsenal, so why leave?

Arsenal right-back Bacary Sagna has hinted that he could renew his contract at the Emirates Stadium.

The 31-year-old's current deal with the Gunners expires at the end of the season and there is yet to be a breakthrough in negotiations despite the club's willingness to reach an agreement.

Inter have enquired about the France international's availability and believe he could be tempted by a new challenge, but Sagna himself appears keen to stay in London.

"I love Arsenal, I love playing for Arsenal, I love my team," he is quoted as saying by the Mirror. "Arsenal are the most followed team in France and I remember I used to watch them when I was in France so it was a pleasure to play for them, so why leave?

"It's great here. It was like a dream when I joined the club because I used to follow Arsenal when I was in France and then I had the opportunity to join them and it's a pleasure to play for the team."

Inter officials have been in England finalising a deal for Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic, and have also launched a bid to sign Patrice Evra when his deal expires this summer.

The Nerazzurri face competition from several clubs for both Sagna and Evra, while both sides have also offered their respective stars new contracts.

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Sagna : Arsenal do not fear Manchester United

Bacary Sagna insists Arsenal do not fear Manchester United ahead of their trip to Old Trafford on Sunday.

Arsene Wenger’s men head into the fixture two points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand over second-placed Liverpool.

The Gunners will also be buoyed by their 1-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday and Sagna believes his team-mates now possess the right mentality to compete with the title challengers.

"Technically we had a very strong group of players, which is now even stronger with Mezut Ozil,” said Sagna.

“But we were missing the physical impact in the Premier League. We were missing the fighting spirit.

"Maybe we thought our technical ability would be enough to make the difference. This time, we don't fear anyone."

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