Arsenal and Liverpool Encouraged in Pursuit of Midfielder Mathieu Valbuena

Arsenal and Liverpool have been handed a massive boost in their battle to sign Mathieu Valbuena after the French star hinted that he will leave Marseille in the summer transfer window.

The 29-year-old midfielder has been linked with a move to the Emirates, while the Merseyside club were also believed to be interested in signing him.

The French international has also been on Atletico Madrid's radar, who are also in the race to sign Valbuena.

"I'm the pivot in this France side and I wish I could have produced the same performances for Marseille this season. I'm the first person to regret the poor season we've had and it has been a difficult year from a personal and a collective point of view," the Express quoted Valbuena as saying.

"I don't feel under pressure at Marseille. My form was pretty consistent but my performances also depend on the collective effort put in," he said.

Marcelo Bielsa will replace Elie Baup as the manager of the Ligue 1 side next season. It was reported that Valbuena is not in the Chilean manager's plan at Marseille.

However, the French midfielder has quashed those rumours and admitted that he has not held a conversation with Marseille's incoming manager.

"I know Bielsa by name only. He's bringing in an ambitious project. It's been eight-years that I've been at Marseille now," the midfielder said.

"People say I'm not trusted by Bielsa but that's not true. He has his project but I haven't discussed it with him yet," Valbuena concluded.

Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers has expressed his delight after it was announced that Liverpool won the Premier League's Fair Play League during the 2013/14 season. The Reds achieved a score of 328.8, leading Arsenal (324), Everton (323.5) and Manchester City (320).

"We are delighted to top the Fair Play League at the end of one of our most successful seasons in recent history," Rodgers told Liverpool's official website.

"Our fans, players and staff make up what we like to call the world's greatest football family and as part of that we look to uphold the club's values which include unity, dignity and commitment, which have been shown throughout the season," he added.