Chelsea To Steal March On Liverpool By Opening Talks To Sign Rival Midfielder

Managers are now pressing ahead with their plans for the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Chelsea are ready to make their move for Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain…

Chelsea are ready to steal a match on Liverpool by opening talks with Arsenal over a potential deal to sign contract rebel Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer, according to Sky Sports News.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has just one year remaining on his current contract and Arsenal have been unable to find an agreement over an extension despite holding lengthy talks with his representatives.

The midfielder’s future is now in serious doubt as Sky Sports claim The Ox has made it clear to the Gunners that he has no intention of signing the deal that’s currently on the table.

Arsene Wenger insisted last week that Oxlade-Chamberlain would not be sold this summer and was 100% certain the England international would still be at the Emirates come September 1st.

However, it seems some of Arsenal’s Premier League rivals are ready to test their resolve as Sky Sports claim Chelsea and Liverpool are among the clubs showing a keen interest in signing Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Jurgen Klopp is looking to further strengthen his squad ahead of Liverpool’s return to the Champions League and the Merseysiders have long been linked with a move for the 23-year-old.

But it appears Chelsea are ready to steal a march on Liverpool as Sky Sports claim the Blues have set their sights on signing Oxlade-Chamberlain and are ready to open talks about a potential deal.

Arsenal are due to fly back from their pre-season tour of Asia after facing Chelsea in a friendly this afternoon and the report indicates the Blues plan to hold talks with the Gunners about Oxlade-Chamberlain during the early stages of next week.

It remains to be seen how Arsenal will respond when Chelsea do get in touch but I have a feeling they will be extremely reluctant to do business with a rival – despite Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contract situation.

Wenger has made it clear he isn’t willing to sell any of his key players to their rivals, especially the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil – who all have just 12 months left on their contracts.

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It’s going to be interesting to see how this all plays out but I have a feeling a lot of this talk is coming from the players agent and he’s attempting to get a better deal out of Arsenal, so wouldn’t be surprised if The Ox ends up signing an extension over the coming weeks.