Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has said that the club are not prepared to let Robin van Persie leave the Emirates in the summer. Robin van Persie is out of contract in the summer of 2013. Hence, there have been reports that Arsenal will be willing to negotiate a deal with other clubs interested in signing the Dutchman.
This is very similar to the move Samir Nasri made to Manchester City. Despite being in the last year of his contract, Arsenal managed to negotiate a £ 25 million deal for Samir Nasri. Even though it may have had potential repercussions in terms of the performance on the field, the financial situation of Arsenal has become even more healthy.
Hence, there have been some suggestions that Arsenal will also be interested in discussing a deal for Robin van Persie, who is the current top scorer at the club. Manchester City and Real Madrid are the clubs interested in the Dutchman, who has scored 34 goals in the previous calendar year alone. It is thought that Robin van Persie has grown tired of life at Emirates due to the lack of trophies. The exit from the Champions League this season also seems to be confirmed after the 4-0 loss at the hands of AC Milan recently.
“Arsenal are not stupid. If he sees out his contract he will be 30. Real Madrid and Barcelona are not going to recruit him at 30. Van Persie feels powerless and anxious. There is no way any club will pay £40m for him this summer, because of his age. This makes him a £20m player and Arsenal don’t need to sell him for that,” an insider told about the decision made by Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis. Arsenal are currently fourth in the Premier league table.