Arsenal Eye Audacious Move For Chelsea Ace After Contract Talks Stall

As we approach the opening of the summer window clubs will be intensifying their efforts in the transfer market so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Arsenal are linked with Branislav Ivanovic.

Arsenal are showing a keen interest in trying to sign Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic after contract extension talks with Chelsea stalled, according to reports.

Ivanovic has been at Stamford Bridge for seven years after joining the club from Lokomotiv Moscow back in 2007 and has played a key role for Chelsea’s in recent seasons.

He arrived at the club predominantly as a centre-back but has been deployed at right-back over the past 24 months. Ivanovic has excelled in this position, becoming one of the most solid full-backs in the Premier League, and has been virtually ever-present in the starting eleven making 50 appearances last season alone.

It’s clear that Ivanovic is an important member of Jose Mourinho’s squad but the Daily Mail claim that talks over a new deal have stalled due to the 30-year-old’s supposed £150,000-a-week wage demands.

That kind of money seems high for a defender but I suppose Ivanovic would point to the fact that John Terry is believed to have been on a similar salary in recent years, and with this likely to be his last big contract, he’s no doubt trying to get the best possible deal.

The newspaper suggests that the impasse over an extension has alerted Arsenal with the Gunners understood to be keen to secure an £8m deal. However, a move is extremely unlikely as not only are Chelsea believed to value the defender at almost double that at £15m, but Arsene Wenger is also highly unlikely to meet the Serbian international’s wage demands either.

The other major stumbling block would be that even if Arsenal were willing to pay around £15m AND match the players excessive wage demands, there would be question marks over whether Mourinho would want to sell one of his key men to a direct rival like Wenger.

With doubts continuing over the long-term future of Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna already off to Manchester City, Arsenal are in need of defensive reinforcements this summer and Ivanovic would be the ideal signing as he can fill-in at both right-back and in the middle of defence.

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But their audacious attempts to lure the player out of Stamford Bridge are destined to end in failure, so Wenger is almost certainly going to have to look at alternative targets this summer.