Triple whammy
Arsenal reportedly face losing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil and Laurent Koscielny before long if they don’t sign new contracts.
That bombshell has been dropped by The Sun, which claims the trio could follow Aaron Ramsey out of the Emirates door if the Gunners don’t tie them down to fresh deals.
According to the newspaper, the club’s managing director, Vinai Venkatesham, said yesterday that the Gunners are working to avoid any more Ramsey-type contract sagas – but they will need to act fast in the case of Koscielny, who is out of contract in the summer of 2020.
If the French defender doesn’t agree a new deal before January then clubs can table pre-contract offers.
Meanwhile, Aubameyang’s contract expires in 2021, and Arsenal know that his 31 goals this season have made him a prime target for some of Europe’s top clubs.
The Gunners are determined to secure his loyalty with a lucrative new deal, and the same apparently goes for Ozil.
No more Ramsey mistakes
“We need to be really disciplined when we are dealing with senior players who are not towards the end of their careers,” explained Venkatesham.
“That means we have to start making the difficult decisions when they have two years left on the contracts. We’re either going to renew those contracts or we’re going to be selling them.
“We’re going to have to be brave in those decisions. We can’t be in a situation where we’re allowing players to walk out of the door for free unless they are coming towards the end of their careers.”
Ziyech a target?
If Aubameyang does leave, could Hakim Ziyech fill his scoring boots? The 26-year-old netted 21 times and provided 24 assists during Ajax’s sparkling season, and he has said that a move to the Gunners would be a “dream”.
Recently named Ajax’s player of the year, Ziyech is free to leave this summer, and talkSPORT say his release clause of £25m is well within Arsenal’s means.
Zaha boost
Tottenham have “ended their interest” in Wilfried Zaha, which leaves leaves Arsenal in pole position to sign the Crystal Palace star, reports Metro.
The 26-year-old has told the Eagles that he wants to leave during the summer transfer window, and Palace are determined to cash in on their star asset.
The newspaper claims the club are “asking for a whopping £100m”, which accounts for Tottenham’s withdrawal from the transfer race. The Lilywhites had thought Palace wanted £70m for Zaha, as did Chelsea, who are also said to have called off the chase.
But Arsenal are reportedly still keen on the forward and are ready to offer Palace as many as three of their squad players in a bid to bring down the price.
