Van Persie Set For Arsenal Stay As Gunners Look To Sell In January

With the summer transfer window in full swing, Football Talk will be keeping you up-to-date with all the latest transfer news throughout the summer. Today, Arsenal are set to keep Van Persie until January.

Arsenal are set to force want-away striker Robin van Persie to stay at the club until January, according to the Daily Star.

The report claims that officials at the Emirates are becoming increasingly aware they need to make a stand to show the club wont be pushed around, following the sale of several key players in recent years, and refusing to sell their captain would send a strong message to the fans that they have had enough.

As has been widely reported in recent months, Manchester City, Manchester United and Juventus are all hoping to land van Persie this summer, after the Dutchman revealed he wont be signing a new contract with the Gunners.

The Star claim Arsenal want around £30m to make it worth their while selling RVP this summer, but none of the pursuing clubs are willing to match that valuation, with United’s opening bid believed to be below £10m.

This has lead the hierarchy at Arsenal into thinking they will now keep hold of their captain for the first 6 months of the season, and sell him in January if needs be when they will still be able to command a decent fee for him when clubs may be desperate for a top striker due to injuries, etc.

Chairman Peter Hill-Wood confirmed to the Star that they wont be selling Van Persie on the cheap, before questioning why the player wants to leave the Gunners:

“He is a world-class player and we don’t want to give him away,” said Hill-Wood.

“If he is determined to leave that is up to him, but giving him away is not on our agenda.

“To be honest I do not understand him at all. I understood Cesc Fabregas wanting to go home to Barcelona last summer. I had sympathy with that.

“But I thought Robin was happy at Arsenal, especially after the season he had with us.”

Hill-Wood is quoted as saying in the Daily Star.

The north Londoners are determined not to be pushed around this time and forcing van Persie into staying for another 6 months would represent a victory of sorts for the club, and it may also buy Arsene Wenger more time to persuade the Dutchman that Arsenal are in a position to be challenging for trophies in the near future, opening the door for a potential u-turn.

Read more Arsenal transfer news | Man Utd transfer news | Man City transfer news

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