Montpellier defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa admits he came close to joining Arsenal last week.

The young stopper had offers from Arsenal and AC Milan.

He told L'Equipe: "The chairman told me I could leave. AC Milan came in for me, but the chairman rejected their offer. So I knew it would be difficult.

"Then came Arsenal to make a bid.

"But I was focused on something else. I was disappointed when I realized that it could not be solved with Milan."