Arsenal have withdrawn the offer of a new contract for Aaron Ramsey, meaning that the Wales midfielder could be sold in January or leave for nothing next summer.
The club had been confident that Ramsey, whose current deal expires in June 2019, was ready to commit to fresh terms. A new four-year contract had been proposed but talks have broken down, alerting rival clubs to his availability.
Ramsey was seeking a large pay rise, his demands influenced by how Mesut Özil had secured a new £350,000-a-week deal. There have been rumours at the club that Ramsey has been the subject of a huge offer from China.
But there is no desire to pay Ramsey the sort of money he might be able to command on the open market while questions remain over whether the 27-year-old is an ideal fit for Unai Emery’s style of play.
Ramsey joined Arsenal from Cardiff in 2008 for £5m and is the club’s longest-serving player. He has won three FA Cups with them, scoring the winning goals in the 2014 and 2017 finals against Hull and Chelsea respectively.