Soccer:Arsenal look set to strengthen their defence with the signing of France international Sebastien Squillaci from Sevilla, after the Spanish club confirmed an offer had been received for the centre-half.
The Gunners are short of experienced cover at the back, having seen out-of-contract veterans William Gallas, Sol Campbell and Mikael Silvestre all leave in the summer.
Squillaci, 30, asked to be left out of Sevilla’s Champions League play-off against Braga last night to avoid being cup-tied. The former Lyon defender is rated at around €8 million, but it remains uncertain whether Arsenal have matched that valuation.
A statement on the Sevilla website read: “Sebastien Squillaci’s future is in the air. As was confirmed by sporting director Ramon Rodriguez at the airport in Porto, the club have received an offer from Arsenal. The player asked coaches not to play him in the match.”