Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey won't force January exit after Gunners end contract talks

Waving goodbye? Ramsey says he won't force his way out of Arsenal in January
PA
James Olley12 October 2018

Aaron Ramsey has insisted he wants to see out the remainder of his contract at Arsenal despite confirming the club ended talks over an extension with an agreement in sight.

Standard Sport reported this week that Liverpool and Manchester United were weighing up a January move for the 27-year-old, who has entered the final year of his deal and is free to negotiate with overseas clubs from January 1.

Arsenal are yet to decide whether they would seek to cash in on Ramsey having withdrawn their offer last month or allow him to leave for nothing next summer.

But the Welshman claims he will not look to force through a move, replying when asked whether he would stay for the rest of the season: “Of course, yeah. I am contracted to Arsenal and I am going to do my best now this season to try and achieve something special.”

It is understood that a lucrative offer representing a significant increase on his £110,000-a-week salary was on the table for months but remained unsigned.The decision to terminate negotiations was taken by more senior figures than head coach Unai Emery — although he was consulted over the situation — and Ramsey admitted he was left puzzled by the breakdown in dialogue.

“Everything has been going great with the club. We thought we were in a position where we had agreed a deal but that’s no longer the case,” he said.

“So I just have to carry on playing my football and do my best for Arsenal this season and I’ll leave the rest with the club now. That’s a decision that they have made. I just have to get on with it and carry on playing the best I can.”

AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus are among the overseas clubs monitoring the situation but a cash offer from one of Arsenal’s League rivals would be tempting as they seek to raise funds to continue Emery’s overhaul of the squad.

Ramsey had asked to miss last week’s Europa League trip to Azerbaijan with his wife soon due to give birth to twins but he joined up with Ryan Giggs’s Wales squad and played the entirety of Thursday's 4-1 defeat to Spain in Cardiff.

Ramsey conceded Wales weren't good enough in Thursday's defeat to Spain 
Action Images via Reuters

Paco Alcacer scored twice either side of a Sergio Ramos header before Marc Bartra added a fourth for Spain. Sam Vokes netted a Wales consolation.

“We just have to hold our hands up and say we weren’t good enough,” said Ramsey. “The manager was angry at half-time. He let us know what he thought of the situation. We needed to up the tempo and be a lot braver on the ball. We did it at times but it was too late.”

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