Lille ‘reject Jack Wilshere free transfer after being offered chance to sign ex-Arsenal star in January’
LILLE reportedly rejected the chance to sign Jack Wilshere on a free transfer.
The 30-year-old midfielder has been without a club since leaving Bournemouth last summer.
Having failed to join a new club last summer, Wilshere was invited to train with former side Arsenal by ex team-mate Mikel Arteta.
He has been working with the Gunners since October in an attempt to maintain his fitness.
claims that Wilshere’s agents have spent the January transfer window trying to find a new club for the 34-capped England international.
They state that he was offered to Ligue 1 side Lille on a short-term contract with the player willing to undergo a trial first to prove his worth.
However, the reports states that the French club opted against it and instead signed former Newcastle favourite Hatem Ben Arfa.
Wilshere is still training with Arsenal and even joined them for a warm weather training camp in Dubai.
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It comes after Wilshere revealed his belief that he can play in the Premier League.
He last turned out in the top flight for West Ham around 18 months ago.
He then headed to the Championship with Bournemouth, but has been without a club since being released by the Cherries in May.
But despite that lengthy absence from first-team football, he insists he still up to scratch at Premier League level.
He told the : “Yes. I’m confident I could deal with the physical side and have an influence.
“I always said when I went back to Arsenal that I would make a decision about my next step at the end of January.
“When you’ve been out the game, you never know which way it will go. But it has convinced me that my playing career isn’t over.
“The manager is top class, and I wouldn’t still be training with the first team if I was bringing the standard down or couldn’t keep up.
“I can still beat a man, and these are top players. That’s a sign, for me, that I can still do it and want to keep doing it.”
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