‘He had an agreement with Arsenal’ – player was set to join Gunners, then ditched idea

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Layvin Kurzawa for years, with the claims about Premier League interest going back some time. Usually, it all felt like an effort to help the player build a stronger situation at PSG, and potentially fish for a new contract.

That situation looked set to come to a head last summer, with Kurzawa’s deal due to expire then. Inevitably, links with English clubs increased, and Arsenal were presented as fighting to secure the fullback on a free transfer.

Tuesday’s L’Equipe reports things got further than that, and they state ‘he had an agreement with Arsenal’ before ditching the idea of joining the Gunners and signing a new four year deal with PSG instead.

That hasn’t worked out brilliantly, with a mediocre season for the 28-year-old in France.

L’Equipe don’t state it specifically, but it seems there’s every chance Kurzawa used Arsenal to get a better contract renewal offer from PSG last summer.