Arsenal ready to take cut-throat stance with contract rebels

Arsenal club chiefs have reportedly confirmed that players who have two years remaining on their contracts and refuse to sign a new deal will be sold by the Gunners.

The north London giants have suffered a raft of recent transfer sagas when it comes to out-of-contract stars, with Alexis Sanchez leaving in a swap deal in January 2018 after running his contract down while Aaron Ramsey is heading to Juventus this summer.

Mesut Ozil also used the same strategy when it came to his new contract, with Arsenal giving into his mammoth wage demands to make him the highest paid player at the club by some distance.

At a fans’ forum before Sunday’s impressive win over Manchester United, managing director Vinai Venkatesham and director of football Raul Sanllehi addressed the supporters in a 90-minute meeting, alongside surprise guest, club director Josh Kroenke.

Venkatesham and Sanllehi admitted the Gunners needed to be more ‘efficient’ and make the tough calls before being backed into a corner by top stars.

The Daily Mirror claims that the club’s hierarchy have said that in the future, players who were running down their contracts would be offloaded.

There are several Arsenal players with contracts due to expire in 2021, including forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while Ozil will also be heading into the final two years of his deal in the summer, along with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis.

The Gunners are also expected to bring in a new technical director in the coming weeks, with former Roma chief Monchi set to be appointed.

Kroenke also assured fans that the club’s main goal was to win silverware and backed Unai Emery to bring success back to the Emirates.

The Gunners are currently two points clear of fifth-placed United and are in pole position to claim a crucial top-four spot with eight games left to play.

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