Mathieu Debuchy is set to force a move away from Arsenal in the January transfer window.
The 31-year-old is believed to be frustrated by a lack of first-team football at Emirates Stadium and has become further disillusioned after being overlooked in favour of Carl Jenkinson to replace the injured Hector Bellerin at right-back.
Bellerin’s month-long absence with an ankle injury had increased Debuchy’s hopes of featuring but Jenkinson’s selection has confirmed his place in the pecking order and he is expected to retain a starting spot for tomorrow’s Champions League Group A decider against Paris St Germain.
Debuchy will be on standby should Jenkinson suffer an injury and while the Frenchman could also feature in next week’s EFL Cup quarter-final tie against Southampton, it is unlikely to prove sufficient to avoid him attempting to seek a mid-season switch.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at Bordeaux but injury restricted him to just nine league appearances. It is also understood that Arsene Wenger blocked a permanent move to Manchester United last summer with the Gunners boss unwilling to sanction a transfer which would strengthen a direct rival.
United have since changed managers and given the frosty relationship between Wenger and Jose Mourinho, a move to Old Trafford is extremely improbable. Debuchy has long targeted a return to Lille at the end of his career. The France international spent nearly a decade at the club after graduating from the academy setup before eventually moving to Newcastle United in 2013.
Debuchy joined Arsenal 18 months later but shoulder and ankle injuries gave Bellerin the chance to establish himself as the club’s first-choice right-back. The news that Bellerin has signed a new six-and-a-half year contract – as revealed by Standard Sport yesterday – underlines that status.
Whether Wenger will allow Debuchy to leave remains unclear but his prospects of regular football look bleak otherwise.
