N'Zonzi: Sevilla confirm midfielder has asked to leave

Steven N'Zonzi has made it clear to Sevilla that he wants to be sold, club director of football Joaquín Caparrós has confirmed.

The France international has established himself as one of the best midfielders in LaLiga since moving from Stoke City in 2015, his composed nature combined with his ability on the ball earning him plenty of admirers.

N'Zonzi was strongly linked with a return to the Premier League last year, as reports suggested he wanted to go back to England to be closer to his son in London, though no move materialised.

N'Zonzi suitors will have to come close to release clause, says Caparrós

Speculation has again been rife this year since N'Zonzi's participation in the World Cup concluded, with Arsenal, Barcelona and Roma all said to be trailing him, but Sevilla are adamant they will be resisting a sale unless a figure close to his reported 35-million-euro release clause is received.

"N'Zonzi wants to leave, but he is aware that he has a two-year contract with us," Caparrós told Cadena SER.

"I talked to him, I have a good relationship with the player, even during the World Cup we have been in contact and we have not talked about Roma.

"He has a clause. If in the end someone comes in to ask for the player, that someone knows that there is a clause, or they will have to make an offer that is very close to it. N'Zonzi knows what we want from him.

"He is a footballer who is on the market and knows that he has to bring us an interesting offer for us to look at it, and if he doesn't, then he has two years of contract left."