LONDON. – Arsene Wenger is ready to axe four first-team Arsenal stars, but is determined to keep three others.
The Gunners boss is open to offers for Joel Campbell, Mathieu Flamini, David Ospina and Carl Jenkinson if the price is right.
But Wenger is understood to have no interest in allowing Jack Wilshere to join Manchester City, and wants to tie Theo Walcott and Mikel Arteta to new contracts.
Campbell and Jenkinson spent last season out on loan, and are likely to head out again this summer.
West Ham are keen on another temporary deal for Jenkinson, while Sunderland and Southampton have also been linked with a move.
Flamini is available after falling down the pecking order, while Ospina is set to leave after the arrival of Petr Cech.
The Colombian ended last season as the club’s No.1, but he’s now likely to leave, with Marseille and Fenerbahce understood to be keen on a deal.
With the quartet heading for the exit, Wenger is keen to secure the long-term future of Walcott.
The England ace has just 12 months left on his contract, but he’s wanted at the club long-term.
Arteta has finally signed a new contract – and that may stop Wenger being forced into the market for a new midfielder.
The Arsenal captain, Arteta (33), agreed a new one-year deal months ago but had not put pen to paper, which raised question marks about whether he would leave the Emirates this summer.
But Arteta, who had received lucrative offers from Spain, has committed himself and will be on the club’s pre-season trip to Singapore after returning to training.
The Spanish midfielder missed much of last season through injury and his return also means that the pressure will not be so great on Arsenal to sign another defensive midfielder.
Arsenal’s long-term target Morgan Schneiderlin is set to join Manchester United as soon as they meet Southampton’s £25 million asking price.
While Arsenal remain interested, they do not value him in that bracket and they have such a wealth of midfielders they are unlikely to be rushed into making a move.
France international Schneiderlin is believed to prefer a move to Arsenal but United appear to be winning the race.
Arsenal are not interested in Arturo Vidal and Ilkay Gundogan also signed a new deal at Borussia Dortmund.
Francis Coquelin emerged as Arsenal’s new holding midfielder while they have strength in depth with Arteta also filling the deeper role.
Jack Wilshere has played deep for England while Arsenal also have Aaron Ramsey, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky as the club have taken up an option to re-sign the Czech veteran.
They will not entertain offers for Santi Cazorla – despite interest from Atletico Madrid – after the Spanish midfielder was arguably Arsenal’s best player last term.
Arsenal’s players began returning to pre-season training on Monday but they are staggered before coming back depending on international duty as Wenger wants them all to have a rest.
Wenger has already said Alexis Sanchez is likely to miss the start of the season after leading Chile to glory in the Copa America.
But Wilshere is likely to hit the ground running as he has worked through the summer after missing much of last term through injury.
Sanchez will miss the start of Arsenal’s new season after helping Chile to win the Copa America for the first time in 99 years.
The core of the Arsenal squad returns for pre-season training later this week, including their new £10 million goalkeeper Petr Cech, but Sanchez will now be given three weeks off after playing in all six of Chile’s matches in their victorious Copa America campaign.
He is now due to return back to club training on July 27, less than a week before the Community Shield match against Premier League champions Chelsea and less than a fortnight before the Premier League itself starts. There is still a small possibility of Sanchez being named a substitute for the Community Shield against Chelsea but Arsene Wenger has proved repeatedly that he will not rush players back from their holidays. — AFP-The Mirror.