Chelsea are ready to test Arsenal’s resolve with a £30m bid for unsettled midfielder Aaron Ramsey, claims The Daily Mail.
Ramsey has entered the final 12 months of his existing Arsenal deal and was coy on his chances of penning a renewal earlier this week.
The Gunners are still locked in talks with Ramsey’s representatives and new head coach Unai Emery could even make him captain in a bid to secure his long-term services.
Emery is confident Ramsey will pledge his long-term future to the club but Chelsea are ready to test the waters with a £30m bid.
Maurizio Sarri has already added Jorginho to his midfield options this summer but wants one more face to complete his midfield overhaul, with Ramsey among their targets.
Arsenal lost Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain to Liverpool for £40m 12 months ago after the England international entered the final year of his contract and the Gunners would surely push for a fee closer to that if they are forced to cash in on Ramsey.
Ramsey scored seven goals and provided eight assists in the Premier League last season and his absence would be a huge blow for Emery’s plans next term.
With a potential exit on the cards, it would be worth considering Ramsey for your Football INDEX portfolios. His share price has increased 12.51% in the last seven days and will only rise further as speculation intensifies.
He isn't unsettled per se, his agent is haggling for more money than the £155k/week offered. Given Oezil is on £300k/wk and Ramsey was Arsenal's Player of the Season in 2017/18, I would expect him to have been given a £200k/wk deal. Injuries are/were a problem but how much of that was his fault and how much was the fault of our medical staff only time will tell. Hopefully he stays but if he doesn't sign a new contract then we will have to sell him and bring in a replacement to avoid another Sanchez situation.