Arsenal technical director Edu met with the president of Ligue 1 club Stade Rennes to discuss Laurent Koscielny’s exit on Monday, according to reports.

The BBC’s David Ornstein reports that the new Arsenal technical director met with the Stade Rennes president Olivier Letang and Laurent Koscielny’s agent Stephane Courbis in London on Monday.

Arsenal are in talks with the defender’s suitors to try and resolve his future. It appears that future lies away from the Emirates Stadium, as Koscielny believes he’s played his last game for the club.

The good news is that it appears Arsenal are actually in external negotiations over the player now. Before, it seemed to be an internal dispute, with Koscielny looking to cancel his contract and leave for free.

If there are talks ongoing with various suitors, presumably that means the possibility of Koscielny leaving without any form of compensation is off the table. Even if Arsenal only bring in a small fee, that’s still a lot better than nothing.

Firstly, with a few potential incomings between now and the end of the window, any small addition to the budget is a positive. Perhaps just as importantly, it sends a message that Arsenal won’t let players pick and choose when their contract ends.

Ornstein wrote in his article on the BBC website: “Unai Emery saw the defender as part of his plans for the coming season and will only let him leave for a suitable fee.”

Now it’s just about finding someone willing to pay that fee and moving on.