Source: Team_Talk
Wenger wants Squillaci in his squad
Arsenal have submitted a bid for Sevilla's France international centre-back Sebastien Squillaci, the Spanish club have confirmed.[LNB] The Gunners are short of experienced cover in defence, having seen out-of-contract veterans William Gallas, Sol Campbell and Mikael Silvestre all leave in the summer.[LNB]Squillaci, 30, asked to be left out of Sevilla's Champions League play-off against Braga on Wednesday night to avoid being cup-tied.[LNB]The former Lyon defender is rated at around £6.5million, but it remains uncertain whether Arsenal have matched that valuation.[LNB]A statement on the Sevilla website read: "Sebastien Squillaci's future is in the air.[LNB]"As was confirmed by sporting director Ramon Rodriguez at the airport in Porto, the club have received an offer from Arsenal.[LNB]"The player asked coaches not to play him in the match."[LNB]Arsenal have already invested in the defence this summer, signing promising centre-back Laurent Koscielny in a £10million deal from Lorient.[LNB]Koscielny had an eventful Premier League debut at Anfield, being the subject of a late challenge from Joe Cole which earned the new Liverpool midfielder a straight red card, before later receiving his marching orders following two yellow cards which rules him out of Saturday's home game against Blackpool.[LNB]Any deal for Squillaci, though, appears unlikely to be pushed through in time for him to play at the weekend.[LNB]"The player asked not to play because of the offer from such a big team but, for the moment, we believe the offer is insufficient and Squillaci is still a Sevilla player," said Rodriguez, quoted in Spanish newspaper Marca, following the 1-0 defeat in Portugal.[LNB]Sevilla are said to have called an emergency board meeting on Thursday, as they discus the offer, which could hinge on whether they can bring in a replacement before the transfer window closes on September 1.[LNB]Arsenal are also said to be keen to sign an experienced goalkeeper and have been linked with both Australian stopper Mark Schwarzer and Republic of Ireland international Shay Given.
