Laurent Koscielny joined the Gunners back in 2011 as a completely unknown entity from French outfit Lorient, much to the disappointment of many fans and media. Koscielny also took a while to find his feet in English football with his first season being highly erroneous, most notably the howler in the 2011 Carling Cup final to gift the trophy to Birmingham City bringing forth tears from the Arsenal faithful.

The defender has since improved gradually over time, and a string of solid performances at the back have helped him cement his place in Arsenal’s starting back four. So much so, that he has managed to relegate club captain Thomas Vermaelen to the bench after forming a formidable partnership with German Per Mertesacker. Koscielny has now become one of the first names on the team sheet in recent months. The 26-year old is now a strong and consistent performer for Arsenal, and has been instrumental in their recent impressive defensive performances.

Metro reveals that his slow rise in stock has also helped him become a French national team regular, and he has been taking his place in the heart of defense in recent games. His performances for his club and country have attracted interest of the newly crowned German champions Bayern Munich, who have already begun a reconstruction of the squad as they lay the foundations of their League title defense for next season and possibly even the Champions League.

Incoming manager, Pep Guardiola, has already submitted his wishlist, and Bayern have simply gone about fulfilling the same. They have already managed to lure arch rivals Borussia Dortmund’s star midfielder Mario Gotze, and are even looking like favorites to land Robert Lewandowski.

They have now turned their attention to bolstering their defense and find a long-term replacement for the 35-year old Daniel Van Buyten. Bayern have targeted Koscielny, and have reportedly made inquiries regarding his availability.

However, Wenger has now responded and issued a hands-off warning to Bayern in an attempt to fend off their interest in his star defender.

This is going to be interesting as Bayern have a lot to offer – trophies almost for certain and definitely Champions League football – will Koscielny be tempted?