Monday, May 14, 2012

Robin van Persie to hold Arsenal talks on Wednesday

Robin van Persie
Striker Robin van Persie will open talks to determine his Arsenal future at a meeting with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis on Wednesday.
Discussions are scheduled to take place at Wenger's house at 10:30 BST.
It is unlikely that a final decision will be made before Van Persie links up with the Netherlands squad on Thursday.


The 28-year-old, who has a year left on his contract, ended the season with 41 goals in 53 games for club and country.
Of that tally, 37 came in 48 appearances for Arsenal and he was the Premier League's leading marksman with 30 goals in 38 matches.
A number of leading sides have registered interest in signing the Gunners captain, who was named Professional Footballers' Association and Football Writers' player of the year.

Speaking after Sunday's 3-2 victory at West Brom, which secured Arsenal's place in next season's Champions League, Van Persie refused to commit.
When asked if his future would be resolved quickly, he said: "You never know but Arsenal is a massive club. Whatever happens, I'll always love this club.

Van Persie to discuss future next week
"I have been playing here for eight years and I love this club. Whatever happens that will never change. We will sit down next week."
Van Persie was unwilling to open negotiations until the campaign had ended, with Champions League football a key consideration.

Another factor is Arsenal's transfer market activity, and Van Persie has been encouraged by the signing of Lukas Podolski from FC Cologne for £10.9m.
"Will Champions League football help to keep Van Persie?" said Wenger. "It makes it easier to attract good players and keep them."

Arsenal are expected to offer the Dutchman a new four-year deal that would break their current wage structure, while Van Persie and his family are happy in London.
But, with the Netherlands assembling for a pre-Euro 2012 training camp in Switzerland on 17 May, there is little time to reach an agreement.

Van Persie is open to the idea of playing in the tournament before making a decision.
Arsenal do not want a repeat of last summer, when Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri were sold after the season had started.

Van Persie was signed from Feyenoord for £2.75m in 2004 and team-mate Laurent Koscielny is confident he will stay.
"He will be here next season," said defender Koscielny, who scored Arsenal's winner at The Hawthorns.

"He was a fantastic captain, he was so important for us. He will be here scoring goals for us next season."


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