Van Persie Rejects Arsenal - including club response

By Nick Lander

Robin van Persie has today confirmed that he will not be extending his stay at Arsenal, in a statement released through his official website.

Arsenal's Captain says that he has made his decision due to differing visions between himself and Arsene Wenger over how the club should move forward. He had a meeting with Wenger and Ivan Gazidis just before Euro 2012, based on which "it has again become clear to [him] that [they], in many aspects, disagree on the way Arsenal should move forward."

Van Persie has confirmed that he will have further meetings with Gazidis in the near future, but he will not sign a new deal, having "thought long and hard about it." The striker also says that he has not discussed a contract with the club "financial terms or a contract have not been discussed" as those are something which are "not [his] priority at all." His full statement is available here.

Arsenal could hold van Persie to his contract, but are likely then to miss out on receiving a transfer fee for the striker, although success in 2012/13 could convince him to extend his stay. Arsenal's other option is to sell him this summer. Manchester City are definitely interested and are believed to be considering a £20m, £200k per week offer. Abroad, Italian side Juventus have reportedly already tabled a miserly offer of £8m. It has also been suggested that Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are interested too.

The club has responded to their Captain's statement, saying that they "are confident that he will fulfil his commitments to the Club." They go on to say that they are preparing for next season with "Arsenal's best interests in mind." A statement which does not really say anything, and which suggests that the Gunners' talismanic captain may be sold for the right price. The full statement can be found here.

For Arsenal fans, it will be a very bitter pill to swallow if van Persie opts to follow in the footsteps of Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri and join Premier League champions City, and if he does he is unlikely to be remembered with much fondness. The wounds caused by Samir Nasri's protracted transfer there last summer are still very fresh.

If he decides to move abroad, van Persie will be remembered more fondly, but a move to Serie A is likely to be seen as a step down, and neither Barcelona or Real Madrid have shown firm interest as yet. Were RVP to move to Catalonia, it would have to be questioned whether he could get into the Barcelona team on a regular basis - although the same was asked of Fabregas last summer and he has done alright.

What actually happens remains to be seen, but any move is unlikely to be made in the next couple of weeks, with van Persie, Wenger and Gazidis all still believed to be on holiday. After the debacle of last summer, Arsenal fans will be hoping that an outcome (whichever way it goes) is reached sooner, rather than later, enabling the club to get on with preparations for the new season without any uncertainty.

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