Arsenal to give four stars big rises in salary

Arsenal are poised to reward arguably their four outstanding players of the season with improved contracts this summer.

Manager Arsene Wenger has made it a priority to tie up Cesc Fabregas, Emmanuel Adebayor, Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna on improved deals.

Representatives of the key first-team players will meet up with acting managing director Ken Friar within weeks as Wenger seeks to put an end to speculation linking Fabregas and Adebayor, in particular, with moves to the Continent.

The Arsenal boss has repeatedly said that it is just as much of an imperative to keep hold of his existing players as draft in new ones, an especially topical issue as Alexander Hleb prepares to follow Mathieu Flamini to Italy.

Wenger has a large input in contract discussions and will recommend that the quartet are given significant pay hikes that reflect their status.

Although Fabregas has six years remaining on his contract, which has annual increments built in, and earns about £60,000-a-week, Arsenal know it is a priority to make him the club's top earner to keep Barcelona and Real Madrid at bay.

Fabregas wants to stay, but his new advisers have told him that he now has 'galactico' status and should expect a contract to match.

Adebayor signed a two-year extension to his four-year contract last spring but he is in a strong negotiating position after scoring 30 goals last season.

While dismissing suggestions that he was seeking to leave the Gunners, the Togolese said this week that he would like to play for Barcelona one day, and while this comment may be designed to draw Arsenal to the negotiating table, he can expect an offer that nearly doubles his £35,000-a-week salary. Sagna has had a superb debut campaign and will seek a contract that doubles his £20,000-a-week wage.

His fellow Frenchman, Clichy, will also expect to join the squad's middle bracket of earners after establishing himself as Ashley Cole's successor at left-back.

The club's main attention will focus on keeping star men Fabregas and Adebayor happy.

Hleb will not buyout his contract

Alexander Hleb’s agent has confirmed the midfielder will not buy out the last two years of his current Arsenal contract in an attempt to leave the club.

Shpilevski told Russian website sports.ru: "Alexander understands perfectly well that he plays for a great team, but the moment has come where he needs to make a choice.

"Hleb has been playing in London for three years now and isn't sure whether in the future he can show the level of talent that he is showing currently.

"I can only confirm that some of the world's biggest clubs are interested in him.

"In any case I can say simply that Alexander will not buy out the remaining part of his five-year contract for a fixed sum of his sale.

"Hleb is a gentleman and will not stoop to that level. Everything will be done properly.

"I am sure that the situation surrounding this issue will finally be resolved in the next 10 days."

Shpilevski added: "There are no problems with regard to his playing opportunities.

"Alexander is just tired of the noisy and chaotic life in the British capital and feels like living in calmer surroundings."

Milan claim Flamini signing

Mathieu Flamini is just hours away from leaving Arsenal, according to Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani.

The Arsenal midfielder was absent from The Gunners' matchday squad against Everton - increasing concerns that the Emirates faithful had seen the last of their combative Frenchman.

Wenger said on Sunday that he is still hopeful his compatriot will renew his contract, which expires in the close season, but Galliani’s words suggest a rather different scenario.

Galliani is the man who conducts Milan’s transfer dealings, and he triumphantly announced Flamini’s imminent signing after the Rossoneri won the Milan derby 2-1.

“Flamini is ours,” roared Galliani to Gazzetta dello Sport.

“He arrives here this evening and he will sign for four years.”

The news will come as a major blow to Wenger, who will be left with something of a dearth of talent in the centre of the field following Lassana Diarra’s January departure.

Gilberto Silva is also expected to leave, but most crucial of all is that Arsenal will be losing one of their players of the season - for free.

Clichy: Flamini loss would be a blow

Gael Clichy has told setantasports.com in an exclusive interview that Arsenal will miss Mathieu Flamini if the top class midfielder moves to Juventus in the summer.

France international Flamini has refused to commit his future to Arsenal for the moment and Serie A giants Juve have approached the player whose contract is up at the end of the season.

His fellow countryman Clichy told us at Arsenal’s training ground that he will accept Flamini's choice whatever he decides to do, but the left back would be very disappointed to lose his team-mate who has been a key player this term.

The defender refuses to judge Flamini and hopes he will make the best choice for his career.

“You have many examples of players, like Lassana Diarra, who just arrived and decided to leave after five months, now he is playing regularly and is a fantastic player,” Clichy told setantasports.com.

“Sometimes it’s a good choice to leave, sometimes it’s a bad choice to leave. It’s really up to him you know.

“You can say that if he moves to Juve he will be playing regularly and that would be the perfect choice.

“But if he leaves and is not played people will say he made a mistake.

“The only person who can say something about that is Mathieu.

“We will see in a few weeks or in a few months what he will decide but it would be a big blow to lose Mathieu because he has been great this season and he is a great guy.

“But once again it’s his decision and he will decide what he wants to do.”

Wenger - Flamini's future is in his own hands

The ball appears to be in Mathieu Flamini's court over his Arsenal future.

Arsène Wenger says the Club have made him a "decent" offer and will respect their existing wage structure. A deadline has been set for the end of April and it is up to the player to decide now.

It appears the 24-year-old would like to extend his four-year stay but doubts will remain until pen is put to paper. And the clock is ticking. His current contract runs out this summer.

"The deadline is next week, the end of April.” said Wenger on Friday. "I said it would be the end of April and that will be it.

"I believe he wants to stay and we want him to stay. We have made him an offer, if it's not good enough we will know soon.

"I respect our wages structure. We do not play - a little bit more. We have made an offer. We think it is decent and that is it."

Arsenal losing Flamini battle

Frenchman's future continues to be shrouded in mystery

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood admits that Mathieu Flamini's days at the club appear to be numbered.

The French international's current contract at Emirates Stadium is due to expire in the summer, and he is yet to sign a new deal despite a reported £50,000 a week offer being on the table for over a month.

The Gunners now fear that Flamini may have already agreed a pre-contract agreement with Italian suitors Juventus, and accept that they may be forced to part company with the combative midfielder in the near future.

"We have made what we think is a pretty generous offer and we are waiting to hear whether he will accept or not," Hill-Wood said in the Daily Star.

"You just don't know nowadays. You think players have a pretty good life, but, somehow, someone persuades them the grass might be greener somewhere else.

"So I don't know the answer, all I know is we think we have pushed the boat out."

Juventus have been tracking Flamini for some time now, and are believed to have offered him a deal worth around £10,000 a week more than the Gunners.

Source:skysports.com

Juventus confirm Flamini pursuit

Juventus will have struck fear into the heart of Arsene Wenger and Arsenal fans by formally confirming their interest in Mathieu Flamini.

Speculation has surrounded the France international for some time given that his current contract expires in the summer, with Italian giants Juventus and Milan strongly linked with a player who has been in such impressive form this season.

Reports in Italy claim a five-year deal, worth in the region of £3 million per season, will be offered to Flamini, and Juve director Jean-Claude Blanc has confirmed that the Frenchman is a target for the Turin club.

“This is an important player who we have been chasing for some time,” said Blanc in Corriere dello Sport.

“And it will have to be good to take him because many teams are interested.

“In order to convince champions you need to take into account their ambitions. To get champions you have to think big.”

Juventus are all-but qualified for the Champions League next season and that could hand them a distinct advantage over Milan in the battle for Flamini, as the Rossoneri are four points shy of fourth-placed Fiorentina with four games remaining in Serie A.

Flamini set a deadline to sign

Arsène Wenger admits that the clock is ticking on his contract negotiations with Mathieu Flamini but he remains confident the French midfielder will sign a new deal.

The 25-year-old is out of contract in the summer and has been able to speak to other clubs since January. Newspapers have linked him to a couple of the major Italian sides.

Flamini and Wenger have been talking for some time but the manager has set a deadline for the end of this month. Both sides know that is approaching fast.

"We are getting close to yes or no," said Wenger at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

"He says he wants to stay and I believe him. But as long as he has not signed, for me, he is free to sign where he wants. We have set ourselves a target until the end of the month of April to finalise the situation, one way or the other.

"That's an absolute deadline because afterwards we have to make decisions about whether you have to move on the market because you don't have much time left."

Bayern in Flamini hint

Bayern Munich have hinted they have put Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini top of their summer shopping list.

The Gunners are desperate to retain the French ace, but, as yet, the 24-year-old has not penned a contract extension.

With Bayern able to land Flamini for free for the start of next season, managing director Uli Hoeness is tempted by the prospect of keeping the club's cheque book away from Arsenal.

Hoeness has confirmed the Bundesliga giants are keen to bolster their midfield, but fell short in naming who the club's summer target is.

"I want to sign another star player for our midfield," said Hoeness.

"We are already in the process of recruiting a high-calibre individual.

"We don't always need to spend millions."

Juve consider Flamini bid

Juventus are weighing up an offer for Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini, according to sporting director Alessio Secco.

Flamini is out of contract at Emirates Stadium in the summer and has yet to agree terms on an extension.

The France international has previously stated his wish to stay with the Gunners, despite repeated murmurings of interest from Juventus.

Arsene Wenger claimed earlier this month that the Italian giants had been in touch to say they had no plans to sign the 24-year-old.

However, Secco has now conceded that Juventus are assessing the possibility of enticing Flamini to Serie A on a free transfer.

"Arsenal tried to sell Flamini to Birmingham and today Wenger will be happy that he wasn't able to do so," Secco told Tuttosport.

"At the moment, we haven't made an offer, we are thinking about that."

Flamini hoping to stay

Mathieu Flamini has revealed that he is in negotiations regarding a new deal at Arsenal.

"There are talks with the club and I hope everything will work out because I am happy here," Flamini said in the Sunday Mirror.

"I like English football and I love Arsenal."

Flamini puts his improvement down to effort he has put in on the training ground.

He said: "Hard work. I have done that for the three-and-a-half years have been at the club.

"Now I have my place in the team and I am getting more and more confidence.

"I am in central midfield and that means I am involved in everything. That suits my style."

Source:Skysports