Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that captain Robin Van Persie will stay at the club.
The striker only has one year left on his current deal at the Emirates and failed to agree a new contract before he joined up with the Netherlands squad for Euro 2012.
The Dutchman has been linked with a transfer to Manchester City and Juventus, but Wenger has ruled him out of a move to Italy.
“He will stay at Arsenal,” Wenger told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
“There is no reason why a top player, a big champion would want a move to Serie A – in terms of the prestige of the league, the level of play or financial considerations.
“If he moves there, I will buy you a caramello.”
While he ruled out a move to the unbeaten Italians, Wenger didn’t say that there was no chance of Van Persie going to Manchester City, who now appear to be the only real contenders for the Dutchman’s signature.
My gut feeling is that the man will stay at the club at least for this season but whether or not he signs a new contract is a mystery for me.
As if he didn’t already seem happy enough, practically all his family have come out and said how they want him to stay in the red half at North London.
His wife says that they are happy in London, his mother has said that Arsenal treat him well and deserve to be repaid for it and his dad has ruled out moving to anywhere else in England. And now with Wenger ruling out a move to Juve who were the only other really candidates to sign the Gunners top scorer, it would appear that the only option Van Persie has left is to stay with the club.
But football is a funny old game, and until we hear Van Persie come out and announce himself that he is staying at Arsenal, nobody can be too sure of where the Dutchman will end up.
Matt Cotton
@FindingCotton
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