Nicklas Bendtner confirms he wants to leave Arsenal in the summer

Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner has revealed that he plans to leave the club at the end of the season once his current contract has expired, reports the Metro.

The 26-year-old has spent two spells away from the Emirates in recent years, firstly at Premier League rivals Sunderland before a stint in Serie A with Juventus, but hoped to force his way into Arsene Wenger’s plans this season on his return.

However, despite a lack of natural forwards at the club, the Dane has fallen out of favour and has made just nine league appearances for the north Londoners during the current campaign.

Within Wenger’s preferred formation there is only room for one forward and his compatriot Olivier Giroud is the first choice, while the emergence of youngster Yaya Sanogo has pushed Bendtner further down the pecking order.

With no signs of an increase in opportunities forthcoming, Bendtner has decided it is time for him to end his nine year stay with the Gunners.

“I’m not going to stay at Arsenal – first-team football is what I’m after.

“The plan is for me to move on. I’m ready for a new challenge. When I find my right club, I am sure that everything will be all right in itself, if there are no more injuries,” he declared.

Arsenal have attempted to offload the much maligned forward in recent transfer windows but have missed their chance to receive a fee for Bendtner, who will now leave on a free transfer.

However, although the Danish international has never been short of confidence, the top clubs in Europe’s will not be queuing up to sign him, with a mid table team a more likely scenario.