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Arsenal ready to sanction £35m deal before deadline day

By on August 26, 2017

alex-oxlade-chamberlain arsenal

According to the Mirror, Arsenal are finally ready to cash-in on Alex Olxade-Chamberlain and will sanction his £35m sale to either Chelsea or Liverpool before the end of the month.

Olxade-Chamberlain is in the final year of his contract and while the club were initially confident of agreeing terms over an extension, talks have stalled in recent weeks.

The midfielder now seems determined to leave and reportedly rejected a whopping £180,000-a-week contract offer after telling Arsene Wenger he wanted to secure a move away from the club before deadline day.

The boss has stated several times this summer that The Ox wouldn’t be sold but the Mirror claim Arsenal are now reluctantly ready to cash-in for around £35m after the player made it clear he felt a move is best for his career and development.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has struggled to hold down a regular place in Wenger’s team and he stills hasn’t cemented a fixed position with the versatile midfielder being deployed in various roles over the past few years.

I’ve said all summer that we should sell if he doesn’t sign a new deal and it looks like it’s going to happen over the coming days with Chelsea and Liverpool leading the chase for his signature.

The Mirror claim that Chelsea were confident of securing a £35m deal but Liverpool have now emerged as serious contenders after making a ‘huge push’ to sign The Ox in recent days.

Given our recent history with Liverpool over the whole Luis Suarez saga, Chelsea could still be considered favourites but I’m sure Arsenal have huge reservations about selling to our London rivals too.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Oxlade-Chamberlain but he simply hasn’t progressed and for all the potential he has, he’s still a hugely frustrating player who’s end product often lets him down.

The reported £35m fee seems reasonable but it’s vital Wenger uses it to buy a replacement who will strengthen the first team and I’d love to see us go for a new central midfielder before the end of the month [and a centre-back].

It’s almost impossible for Oxlade-Chamberlain to start against Liverpool tomorrow so Sead Kolasinac and Hector Bellerin are expected to be selected in the wing-back roles at Anfield.