Koscielny has been reportedly told he can leave Arsenal in January.

Italian outlet CalcioMercato have claimed that Arsenal club captain Laurent Koscielny is interesting Championship side Aston Villa after Unai Emery reportedly told the Frenchman he can leave.

TeamTalk reported earlier this week that the 33-year-old has been told he has no future at the Emirates Stadium under Emery, with Barcelona said to be keen on landing the 51-time France international.

The arrival of Sokratis Papastathopoulos has pushed Koscielny down the pecking order, while Rob Holding, Shkodran Mustafi and Konstantinos Mavropanos remain as options.

Despite having another two years remaining on his contract at The Emirates, Koscielny has been told he can leave and now reports are suggesting that Aston Villa could look to land the experienced Premier League defender.

Villa remain one of England’s biggest clubs outside the Premier League but are struggling in the Championship, sitting way down in 17th place. But after a financial boost in the summer, Villa have money to spend in January.

The club desperately need a centre-back, with only Axel Tuanzebe and James Chester remaining as options at the heart of Villa’s defence. It could see Koscielny make the surprise move to the Midlands.

It remains to be seen what kind of a deal Villa would go for – whether that be a loan until the end of the season, or a permanent one. A transfer fee would be required, with his current £90,000-a-week deal (Spotrac) ending in June 2020.

But the report does state that Koscielny likes Villa, and a move could indeed occur in January for a player who is yet to feature this season due to an achilles injury.

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