Arsenal and Newcastle United on Alert as Bordeaux Listens to Offers for Gouffran

Bordeaux looks resigned to the fact they will lose star forward Yoan Gouffran after the player has declined to sign an extension with the club. Sky Sports has reported that Bordeaux is willing to listen to offers in an effort to cash in on their talented scorer. Arsenal and Newcastle United are among the interested parties.

Arsene Wenger tried to bring the winger to Arsenal in 2008, but Gouffran decided to join Bordeaux instead. With Wenger looking to add another offensive spark to his attack, Gouffran's situation has surely been noticed by Arsenal.

Gouffran would fit the mold of the typical Arsene Wenger signing for Arsenal. He is French, not a household name in the soccer world, and is inexpensive relative to other targets. If reports regarding Arsenal interest in Santi Cazorla do not materialize, Gouffran is a good fallback option.

Newcastle would also welcome the addition of the playmaker to their attack. With their growing French contingent, Gouffran would have no problem finding his feet for Newcastle.

Gouffran was a key component to Bordeaux's second-half surge last season. Their inspired play saw them climb from the bottom half of the table to 5th in Ligue 1. Able to use both feet with a variety of moves, the winger netted 14 times last season.

Bordeaux will miss Gouffran's creativity and scoring, but losing him for free next summer is the worst option. Bordeaux ran into this issue a few years back when Maroune Chamakh left on a free. Being able to cash in on the talented Gouffran will allow Bordeaux to target a replacement.

With Aston Villa, Everton and Sunderland also reportedly interested, Bordeaux should have no problem getting a solid return for their star. Expect this to be sorted out in the next two weeks as everyone looks to get settled on their players before the season starts.