But the Arsenal captain remains in contract limbo. His salary demands and new economic realities have reduced his options from many to just a precious few.
Van Persie’s contract expires next summer, and he met with Arsenal officials on Wednesday to discuss his future. The meeting came and went without resolution, as the 28-year-old reportedly wants to be paid along the lines of the world’s top players. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi earn over £250,000 per week (over $22 million-a-year), and Arsenal balked at those demands.
The continued impasse prompted clubs like Manchester City, Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid to prepare transfer bids in excess of £20million ($31.6 million), according to the Mail. But they stopped short of lodging formal offers because of their own concerns about van Persie’s contract demands.
These clubs (with Juventus being the only possible exception) are already out-spending just about every club in the world. They are hesitant about taking on another hefty contract without first ridding themselves of some of their own high earners.
The new Financial Fair Play rules are looming in the background. These regulations force clubs to limit their spending to a percentage of their revenue. In other words, European clubs cannot spend more than they make without running the risk of being disqualified from lucrative continental competitions like the UEFA Champions League.
This leaves van Persie in a bind. Arsenal hoped to sort out the situation before the start of the European Championships, but that looks unlikely. Arsenal may not be willing to meet the demands of England’s Player of the Year. The clubs which he could realistically join — and win the trophies he so desperately craves — are not ready to sign him at this point. He may end up playing out the final year of his Arsenal contract and testing the free-agent market in the summer of 2013. It would make it easier for interested clubs to sign him on free transfer and pay the Dutch striker what he believe he deserves.
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