Mexes happy to wait for ´big´ move
Arsenal and Manchester United target Philippe Mexes is happy to wait for his ´big move´ after settling his contract dispute with Auxerre.
The much-coveted French defender, linked with moves to Highbury, Old Trafford and Barcelona during the summer, has reached an amicable solution to the contract wrangle which had looked set to go to court.
And now Mexes admits he is prepared to wait before trying his luck elsewhere.
Explaining why he had abandoned his legal action, Mexes told L´Equipe: " There was no point suing the club that finally recognised that the contract had been signed. I asked for nothing more than that which had been signed.´´
And the product of the famous Auxerre youth academy revealed he had spoken with evergreen coach Guy Roux about his future.
" Of course I have spoken with the coach about the future,´´ said Mexes. " He likes to look after his players. But we have not spoken of that [an eventual move]. How can you foresee a transfer at the start of the season?
" I prefer to keep quiet and, at the appropriate moment, to do things if they get firmed up for me and Auxerre.´´
However, Mexes admitted his long-term future did not lie in Burgundy.
" My objective is to look at the bigger picture and to play in the European Cup every year with a bigger club,´´ he added.
Mexes is not yet an automatic first choice for France and admitted after Auxerre´s disappointing opening day 2-1 defeat by Nice that he needed to improve.
" I realise I was not in my best form. At the moment being a starter for Les Bleus is not an objective,´´ he said. " Mine is first to be a member of the squad.´´