Mehdi Benatia says he wants to speak to Juventus to figure out their intentions, before making a decision over his future, but insists he’s happy with the Serie A club.

The media have linked Benatia with a move to Arsenal in the last month or so, with reports in early June suggesting the Gunners ‘made contact’ with Juventus over a possible transfer. This followed claims in May that the club are ‘ready to dive in’ for the player.

Now, the player himself has given his thoughts on the situation, speaking to the Italian media.

“I am very happy with Juventus,” he said. “I feel at home as do my family. Now I’ll talk to the club and we will make a decision. I want to talk with them to understand what they intend to do, but I still have three years of contract.”

Quotidiano report the quotes, and they add in their article that Arsenal are ‘ready to convince’ Juventus to sell with ‘at least €30m’.

The Moroccan international only joined Juventus permanently last summer, after a one-year loan in Italy. He reportedly doesn’t get along with Max Allegri though, opening the door to a possible exit. Marseille are also in for the defender, who recently turned 31.

Arsenal are in danger of having a few too many defenders in their thirties as things stand. Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Mehdi Benatia isn’t exactly a youthful back line. At the same time, after last season the club could do with some experience in defence.

We’ll see how the situation progresses now that Morocco’s World Cup is over.