Arsenal ready to spend as soon as Wenger signs

ARSENAL will be able to confirm transfers as soon as Arsene Wenger says he is staying at the club, with Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac intended as the first signing of a major revamp.

Arsenal, who play at Middlesbrough tomorrow, want to open talks with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, though they may be too late to persuade the winger to stay, given that he has only one more year left on his contract.

But the situation at the club is dominated both by Wenger’s reluctance to confirm his plan and the contract talks with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.

Both players, whose contracts run out in 2018, have postponed further talks until the summer, with Ozil suggesting Arsenal need to strengthen and that Wenger’s future is a crucial factor.

Insiders are pessimistic about persuading Sanchez to sign again but it is thought Ozil will eventually accept a deal which will be worth around £300,000 a week once image rights are included. The same is on offer for Sanchez.

Kolasinac is expected to be the first-choice left-back next season and had offers from Juventus, Manchester City and Everton.

Arsenal are also moving to bring in a new centreforward, a midfielder, a wide player and cover at right-back for Hector Bellerin. However, there is a recognition that they will miss out on the A-list transfer targets. Last summer Arsenal made attempts to sign Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann and Monaco’s teenage star Kylian Mbappe but, with Champions League qualification fading, and with Mbappe now attracting interest from all over Europe, they will not be able to compete for those players.