It looks as though Arsenal supporters will be sweating on the future of Robin Van Persie for several more months. The Gunners have now confirmed that talks over a new contract for the Dutch international will not begin until at least after the European Championships have concluded.
There has been plenty of speculation for the past few months that RVP is set to leave the Emirates Stadium, with a whole host of Europe’s biggest clubs plotting a summer move for the striker. Unfortuantely for Arsenal, their hand has been weakened significantly this season due to the fact that Van Persie’s contract is set to expire in one year – meaning that he could leave for nothing if the situation is not resolved this summer.
It looks as though the Gunners are planning discussions with the former Feyanoord ace though, with chief executive Ivan Gazidis telling the Daily Mirror, “Robin sat down with us at the end of the season and we had a good discussion. What we agreed at that meeting was that we would keep all the discussions we had over the summer to ourselves and make announcements when it is the right time. We have to respect the fact we have agreed to keep that among ourselves. Robin is clearly focused on the Euros at the moment and we wish him well, and at the right time we will make the right announcements.”
At the time of writing, Manchester City are the favourites to sign the 28-year-old although there are several other sides who are also believed to be in contention. With Van Persie bagging an impressive forty three goals for club and country this term, it is no surprise to see such interest and he is likely to have a lot of lucrative offers on the table once Euro 2012 concludes in less than a months’ time.
