Liverpool ‘to land £25m Ox’ as Arsenal show nine the door

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Secret punk rocker

Liverpool are expected to be given permission to speak to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as Arsenal reportedly prepare to accept a cut-price fee for the midfielder.

The Gunners are reportedly under pressure to reduce their wage bill following a new Premier League ruling and are preparing to sanction the exits of Oxlade-Chamberlain and up to seven of his Arsenal teammates.

The rules say that a club’s wage bill should not be more than £7million more than it was in 2016-17, or £19million more than from the 2012-13 season.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been offered a new deal by Arsenal, but the player is yet to agree terms as he weighs up reported offers from both Manchester City and Liverpool.

But The Independent claims Oxlade-Chamberlain’s refusal to sign will see Arsenal accept a bid of £25million for the player – and claim Anfield is his most likely destination.

Jurgen Klopp is a known admirer of the player and the promise of more regular football at Anfield is likely to see the Reds win the race for a player, who spent long periods on Arsenal’s bench last season.

Olivier Giroud is another who could follow Oxlade-Chamberlain out the door – especially with the Gunners hoping to sign Alexandre Lacazette. Napoli are reportedly ready to join Marseille and West Ham in monitoring his situation.

Jack Wilshere is another who could leave after spending last season on loan at Bournemouth but his wages may prove a stumbling block to a permanent move.

Fringe players Calum Chambers, Wojciech Szczesny, Chuba Akpom, Kieran Gibbs, Lucas Perez and Carl Jenkinson are also expected to depart as Arsene Wenger fine tunes his squad and puts the emphasis on quality over quantity.

The Gunners remain hopeful of persuading Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil to sign new deals, while any approach from Barcelona for Hector Bellerin will also be rebuffed.