Arsenal’s scouting team will hold a
meeting at the club’s London Colney HQ at the start of next week to
discuss the prospect of replacing wantaway skipper Robin van Persie.
Sportsmail understands
Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic and Borussia Dortmund striker Robert
Lewandowski were both watched by the scouts last season and will be on
the agenda.
Van Persie is
keen to have his exit finalised by the time the club’s Asia tour kicks
off on July 24. It is understood that he would rather not be included in
the squad that flies to Malaysia as it would delay his pending move.
But manager Arsene Wenger is
unlikely to take a lenient view on him missing the trip.
Wenger has not given up hope of
persuading Van Persie to change his mind and is planning a
heart-to-heart meeting with the striker when he reports for pre-season
training in around 10 days.
But
there is a feeling at the Emirates Stadium that Van Persie’s position
is untenable after he admitted he does not agree with the club’s
direction.
As Sportsmail revealed, both Manchester clubs will battle it out for Van Persie’s signature in the coming weeks.
City
would prefer to off-load one of their strikers before committing to a
move for the 28-year-old — but with talks over Emmanuel Adebayor’s
permanent move to Tottenham progressing well, that problem could soon be
solved.
Juventus
remain in the running to sign Van Persie despite holding talks with
Napoli forward Edinson Cavani and remain confident of luring the Holland
striker to Italy.
On Thursday, Arsenal's turbulent week
descended into civil war after the club’s second biggest shareholder
launched a withering attack on primary owner Stan Kroenke.
Less
than 24 hours after Van Persie revealed his intention to leave the
Gunners with a statement questioning the club’s ambition, Alisher
Usmanov and Farhad Moshiri — who own close to 30 per cent of Arsenal
shares through investment vehicle Red and White Holdings — criticised
the Kroenke regime.
In a strongly worded five-page open
letter addressed to the Arsenal board, Usmanov and Moshiri claim what
they view as Kroenke’s lack of investment has led to:
* the loss of the club’s best players
* Arsenal signing second-rate stars
* the club no longer being able to challenge for trophies
An extract from the letter read: ‘As a
consequence of this (Mr Kroenke’s) policy, which is dressed up as
prudent financial planning, it is down to our manager, and not our
shareholders, to have to deal with the club’s tight finances, carry the
burden of repaying the stadium debt by selling his best players and
having to continue to find cheaper replacements.
‘This policy is leading to the loss
of our best players, often to our main competitors, and even causes the
players themselves to question their future at the club and the club’s
ambitions.’
The letter continued: ‘It appears a place in the Champions League will be the pinnacle of our ambition again next season.’
Usmanov
and Moshiri’s attack plunges the club into further controversy after
Van Persie confirmed he would not be signing a new contract.
While
Red and White Holdings have no major influence at the club due to the
fact they have not been granted a place on the Arsenal board, the letter
turns up the heat on Kroenke and the club’s hierarchy as the prospect
of another summer of losing their prized asset looms.
Meanwhile, Theo Walcott could become the next big-name player to depart.
Like
Van Persie, the England forward is in the final 12 months of his
contract but the club have yet to call him in for talks over a new deal.
Chelsea are monitoring the 23-year-old’s situation.
Source : DailyMail.co.uk
