The Telegraph
Arsenal omit Robin van Persie from Asia tour as manager Arsene Wenger plays hardball with strikerArsène Wenger has told Robin van Persie that he will not be sold for a cut-price fee and may be forced to see out the final year of his contract at Arsenal after rejecting bids for him from Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footba ... riker.htmlHighlights below:
Van Persie has made it clear that he will not sign a new contract and Wenger will confirm on Saturday morning that he has controversially omitted his captain, and most famous player, from the squad who will fly to Malaysia on Saturday for the club’s promotional tour of Asia.
United, City and Juventus are all attempting to capitalise on the uncertainty, with Sir Alex Ferguson on Friday taking the unusual step of publicly confirming his interest in a rival club’s player. United, though, now fear that Arsenal are holding out for as much as £30 million and believe that the club’s long-standing rivalry with Wenger’s team will provide another obstacle to winning the race for Van Persie.
When asked about the bid at a press conference in Cape Town on Friday night ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Ajax in Cape Town, Ferguson initially denied the offer, claiming, “I’ve not said anything about Van Persie”.
The three bids for Van Persie are understood to have all been made this week and fall well short of Arsenal’s valuation. Manchester City indicated that they would pay £12 million while Juventus and Manchester United both suggested a fee of around £10 million. Arsenal will not listen to offers below £20 million and, after getting £24 million last summer for Samir Nasri, are holding out for a fee in excess of £25 million for a player who was the top scorer in the Premier League last season. It all points to a prolonged saga, with much likely to depend on the attitude of Van Persie. If he accepts that Arsenal will not sell him for less than £20 million, he could conceivably be forced to see out a contract that expires next summer.
Wenger will claim that he has left Van Persie out of the club’s pre-season tour because he did not regard him as match fit following Holland’s involvement in Euro 2012. This explanation, however, is bound to be met with considerable scepticism, particularly as Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud are all expected to fly to Malaysia on Saturday.