Get me outta here!

The Ox rejects new Arsenal deal and could be heading to Chelsea

LONDON: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has rejected a new £180,000-a-week (RM991,000) deal at Arsenal and told the club he wants to leave.

The England star met with Arsene Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis on Thursday for crunch talks over his future.

And Oxlade-Chamberlain is understood to have rejected the bumper new contract on the table and revealed he wanted to move.

Now the Gunners will spend the next day deciding whether to make the 24-year-old see out the last 12 months of his contract or cash in on him before the transfer window closes.

Chelsea have lodged two bids already for the midfielder and are looking to secure a £35mil (RM193mil) deal by the end of the month.

The decision will come as a major blow to manager Arsene Wenger, who has been desperate to keep the player in his squad.

He made an impassioned plea for Oxlade-Chamberlain to commit his future to Arsenal, insisting he wanted to build his team around the player.

Wenger believes he is finally reaching his full potential after spending six years with the Gunners developing his game since joining from Southampton.

But that has not been enough to persuade Oxlade-Chamberlain he is better off staying in north London for the good of his career.

The player is understood to have been frustrated at not always being given a long run in the side under Wenger, which he has felt has stifled his development.

And with the club missing out on Champions League football this season, there is also the attraction of playing in the top competition else- where.

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has been hoping to bring him into his squad all summer, and the English Premier League champions are hoping to push through a move next week.

But they also face competition from Liverpool, where manager Juergen Klopp has been a long-term fan of the player.

Liverpool have made several attempts to tempt OxladeChamberlain to Anfield in the past, and Klopp believes he could easily fit into his team on Merseyside. — The Sun, London