Arsenal Defender Bacary Sagna Confirms He's Leaving Club

One of the worst kept secrets in English football has now been officially confirmed by the player. Bacary Sagna’s Arsenal career has ended.

“It’s no longer a secret: I’ll leave Arsenal,” Sagna told L’Equipe. “They tried to make an effort, but the discussions have not gone in the direction I wanted.”

Sagna has been strongly linked with a move to Premier League Champions Manchester City. If he does sign with the Blues, Sagna will face his former side in the Charity Shield at Wembley in August. Sagna’s final Gunners performance was in the 3-2 (AET) FA Cup victory over Hull City.

“To finish at Wembley with the Cup, it was something magical, ” Sagna said.

While a move to Manchester City may see an increase in wages for the French defender (Bacary Sagna is expected to sign a three-year deal worth around £120,000 a week at Manchester City), he will be hard pressed to break into the first team at the Etihad. But the Blues, having fallen afoul of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules, are limited in transfer spending this summer, thus must seek cheaper options like Sagna who is out of contract and available without a transfer fee.

At the same time, Chelsea are reported to be interested in signing the French defender.