Laurent Koscielny has suggested he is in the final two years of his time at Arsenal, as he could leave when his contract expires.
The centre-back joined the Gunners from Lorient eight years ago but will be part of a new chapter at the club as they prepare for their first season under new coach Unai Emery.
Arsenal have already invested in their defence this summer with centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos joining from Borussia Dortmund and right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner being signed from Juventus.
The 32-year-old Koscielny will have to wait before he gets a chance to impress his new manager as the injury he suffered towards the end of last season will likely keep him out of action until the end of 2018.
France international Koscielny still expects to play a role this season, but admits he may be coming to the end of his time in London as his contract enters its final two years.
“I’m under contract until June 2020. Afterwards? I’m thinking of moving on, but I do not know where,” he told Nice-Matin.
“This is not relevant anyway! I am in England, my family too. Then there will inevitably be a lot of question marks.
“The bottom line is to have health. I learned to relativise because there are so many more serious things in life.”
Koscielny has made over 320 appearances for Arsenal since joining in 2010, scoring 24 goals in all competitions.
Emery’s team begin their Premier League campaign with a home game against reigning champions Manchester City on August 12.
Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny will be out for six months after surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon, says Gunners manager Arsene Wenger.
Koscielny, 32, was carried off 12 minutes into Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final second leg defeat by Atletico Madrid last Thursday.
France manager Didier Deschamps had already confirmed the centre-back would miss this summer’s World Cup.
“You will not see him until December at best,” said Wenger.
“Koscielny is devastated.
“People have always inflamed tendons but they don’t rupture but in his case it went. I don’t know why.
“The recovery will be full because the advantage of surgery is that it heals the inflammation.”
For the second time in their history, France are the world champions.
France beat Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday.
A Mario Mandzukic own goal put France into a first half lead, but Croatia levelled through Ivan Perisic in the 28th minute. Antoine Griezmann scored a controversial penalty as France went into the break 2-1 up.
Les Bleus extended their lead in the second half. Paul Pogba made it 3-1, before Kylian Mbappe bagged the fourth.
Mandzukic scored a consolation for Croatia after a bad mistake from Hugo Lloris.
In the World Cup winners’ celebrations, Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny turned up in the French dressing room.
The Gunners star took a few pictures with his hands on the World Cup trophy.
Those images provoked plenty of fans to turn to social media to express their sorrow for Koscielny.
Koscielny missed the World Cup due to injury. The Arsenal defender is known to have chronic Achilles problems.
Had Koscielny been fit, he’d surely have played at the World Cup. In the end, however, Rafael Varane and Samuel Umtiti forged a significant partnership at the heart of the French backline.
Tweets in support of Arsenal’s Koscielny after the World Cup final are below.
View image on Twitter