The free transfer of Auxerre’s Yaya Sanogo will not be quite as free as it appears.

The 20 year-old forward will join Arsenal at the end of the season (July) after his contract expires with the Ligue 2 side, but due to his being under 23 Arsenal must pay compensation for him.

The amount will be decided by a tribunal nearer to the time, but will likely be around £0.5m.

Excited

And the player himself has spoken for the first time about his move to Arsenal, saying he is looking forward to joining the squad:

"Arsenal could be a great club for me, I scored nine goals this season with Auxerre and they think I can improve my level in England,"

I am pleased to be following in the footsteps of Abou Diaby who came through from Auxerre. There are many teams interested in me, but Arsenal is my choice.”

Before joining Auxerre, Yaya Sanogo played for Les Ulis, the same club that produced France national team's all-time leading goalscorer and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.

If you want the low-down on what could be Arsenal’s first signing of the summer, check my article from when the news first broke.

You can make your mind up on whether he’ll be a good addition there.

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