Finally, Rennes break their silence on Laurent Koscielny amid 'agreed deal' claims

Koscielny refused to travel with Arsenal for their pre-season tour [Courtesy]

Rennes will not be signing Arsenal's wantaway defender Laurent Koscielny, the French club's president has declared.

The 33-year-old refused to travel with the Gunners on their pre-season tour of the United States after his request to leave the club to return to his homeland was rejected.

Arsenal were furious with club captain Koscielny for refusing to travel and released an official statement upon their departure for the States, declaring their 'disappointment' in his actions.

At the weekend, there were reports that the Ligue 1 side had agreed to a deal with the former France international.

But now club president Olivier Létang has cleared the air over those suggestions.

“We learned about [the so-called agreement] like you,” he told media in France. "Even my son told me it seems Koscielny is on his way.

"I told him that was false. He’s a good player with a lot of experience at international level.

"We met him twice last year. When we heard there was a chance he could leave in early June, we called Arsenal to ask if that was true because we could be interested.

“Around mid-June, they got back to us and told us they wanted to renew him. He wasn’t for sale.

"We haven’t had any more talks with the player. We have great respect for other clubs. We can’t talk with a player if the team don’t want him to leave, so I can say what came out this weekend is false and isn’t current.

"No, we haven’t spoken to Arsenal since mid-June. For me, there’s no point talking with the player if the door isn’t open.”

Létang's comments come as Bordeaux boss Paulo Sousa confirmed his side's interest in the wantaway Gunners centre-back.

"He is a player that every team would like to have because of his experience, the quality of his play and everything that he represents in football," said Sousa.

"We are in the market for central defenders because Jules Kounde has left and so we are looking for another player to replace him.

"All talks are ongoing but once again he is not our player.

"We are working hard to give ourselves the chance to have a player with his characteristics."

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