England and Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole is ready to turn down
Manchester City and make a dramatic switch to Arsenal after the
World Cup.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is anxious to strengthen his team,
now that Cesc Fabregas, on duty with Spain in South Africa, is
expected to leave for Barcelona at the end of the summer.
Capital gains: Joe Cole and his family are keen to
stay in London
Cole would not be a direct replacement but the signing of the
England man would go some way to soothing the frustration of
Arsenal fans, whose team have not won a major trophy since
2005.
While City are also said to be keen on Cole, the stumbling block
for both clubs has been Cole's pay demand of about £100,000 a
week.
Cole's negotiations with Chelsea are understood to have broken
down, which would make the 28-yearold a free agent when his
contract runs out this summer.
Cole's view is that because he can sign for a new club without
them having to pay the £10million he could command on the open
market, he is entitled to request a lucrative financial deal.
On the move: Joe Cole prepares for training at
England's World Cup base in Rustenburg
But a source close to one of the negotiating clubs said: 'He's a
good player but there are wage structures in place which will
prevent clubs giving him what he wants. Maybe he will have to be
more realistic.'
The player and his family are keen to stay in London. But
Arsenal would not break their pay structure for Cole, with Robin
van Persie and Fabregas currently the top earners on about £90,000
a week.
While Cole missed most of the season with injury - and just
squeezed into Fabio Capello's final squad of 23 for South Africa -
he is now on the verge of making the starting line-up against the
United States next Saturday.
Wenger, with about £30m to spend plus whatever comes in from
Fabregas, is likely to pursue Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer,
ending Manuel Almunia's career as Arsenal No 1.
