Manchester City will reportedly axe a number of strikers to pave the way for a move for Robin Van Persie.
The Premier League champions have been chasing the Arsenal captain for some time now and look to try and use their title success and financial power to draw the Dutch striker to the Etihad Stadium.
The Mirror claims that Roberto Mancini will sell Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz in order to raise funds to make a move for Van Persie and to help get their finances in line for UEFA’s incoming Financial Fair Play rule.
The Gunners forward has just one year left on his current contract with the club and is yet to sign a new deal, casting doubt over his future at the Emirates Stadium.
Van Persie has also been linked with a move to last season’s unbeaten Serie A champions Juventus, with the player himself even stating his own admiration for the Italian outfit, saying:
“Juventus? They are a great team, for sure.”
Van Persie is said to be at the stage of his career where he values trophies more than his weekly wage and that a switch to another club wouldn’t be motivated by money.
As a result, Arsene Wenger is desperate to match the Dutchman’s ambition and is keen to prove this in the transfer market.
Germany striker Lukas Podolski has already joined the Gunners whereas Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud looks likely to be Arsenal’s second signing of the summer.
French midfielder Yann M’Vila and Russian winger Alan Dzagoev have also been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.
Van Persie is reportedly happy in North London, and a number of his family members have expressed their desire for him to stay with Arsenal.
In May, his mother Jose told The Sun:
“Arsenal love him and that’s a great incentive to stay. Arsenal are a fantastic club.
“They have no debts and Robin is idolised there.”
Likewise, his wife Bouchra told the Mirror.
“We have been in London for eight years now. As a family, we love it here. Robin is captain of Arsenal and, as many people claim, the leader of the Arsenal team.
“Arsenal believed in Robin when he was young and when he was considered as a bit of a rebel. We don’t want to upset things at home either. Our kids, Shaqueel and Dina, go to school here in London. And they are just as happy as we are.
“We still expect to sit down after this season is over and have a look at the future.”
Russian outfit Anzhi are also understood to be interested in the Gunners skipper.
Matt Cotton
@FindingCotton
Bit of a non story really. All info previously spouted all over the net.
I can bet my last Naira that if Wenger signs Giroud, RVP will be on his way out. Let's not kid ourselves. All the talk about the need to sign quality players in order to keep RVP is bladerdash. RVP at this point in his career cannot afford to compete for playing time with likes of Podolski, Giroud and all the other names being touted. There is no good player in the world who would be willing to take that chance. What a player like RVP would like to see is a peripheral player who can only come in for him when he needs to take a rest. Who or where are those world-class players who would be willing to come to Arsenal to play that kind of second fiddle? Players like Dzagoev may fit that bill. But definitely not players in the class of Giroud.
What most clubs do is to get the players they are courting to believe that they would always be the first choice. These players are never privy to the other negotiations that the clubs are engaged in. By the time the player signs the contract and the season starts, he discovers that a false picture was presented to him.
Gooners, just relax and let Wenger do his thing.
“All the strikers being cleared out to make way …” is really incentive to a striker who could find himself at the end of another clear-out in the future.
I think Giroud simply indicates Bendtner and Chamakh are already sold. M'Vila and Giroud are probably done deals.
I think Van Persie is now a “if he goes then he goes” shrug of the shoulders. .