Theo Walcott could follow him out the door as contract
negotiations stall
Arsenal have slapped a £30 million price tag on striker
Robin van Persie.
The Dutch striker has so far failed to agree an
extension to his current deal which has just one season left.
The club are willing to make Van Persie the highest
earner in the club’s history with an offer close to
£130,000-a-week.
But Gunners chairman Peter Hill-Wood admitted that if
another club offers Van Persie £250,000 a week, then Arsenal
would not be able to compete.
Dutch master: Robin van Persie scores for Holland
against Germany at Euro 2012
Arsenal have not given up hope of keeping their
captain, but if he insists on leaving the price will be high.
Van Persie is being tracked by Manchester City and
Juventus.
Paris St Germain, funder by Qatari owners, are also
keeping tabs on developments.
Russian League big spenders Anzhi, managed by Guus
Hiddink, would also top any contract offer to Van Persie. But the
28 year-old striker does not want to be based in Moscow. This
summer’s debate will revolve around Van Persie’s willingness to
commit his future to Arsenal.
If he can’t do that the London club will take any £30m
offer – even one from a rival Premier League club like champions
City.
Arsene Wenger is happy for van Persie to run down his
contract
If no-one matches that valuation, then manager Arsene
Wenger is happy to keep Van Persie at The Emirates and allow his
contract to run down in June 2013.
That would make the player a free agent in a year’s
time but he would also be approaching his 30th birthday and his
market value will have dipped and he would be unlikely to command
a salary in excess of Arsenal’s current offer.
Arsenal will also have bolstered their strike force by
the start of the season.
Lukas Podoloski has already joined from Cologne for
£10m and a deal for a similar sum has been agreed with new French
champions Montpellier for striker Olivier Giroud. If Van Persie
stays at the club to see out his contract Giroud will have a full
season to adapt to the Premier League.
But there is also a question mark about the future of
Theo Walcott. The England winger also has one-year left on his
contract but talks about a new deal have reached deadlock.
The two parties are still some distance from agreement
and Walcott could be on the move in the summer.
Theo Walcott: could be on his way as well