Arsenal stars Lucas Perez, Kieran Gibbs and Wojciech Szczesny amongst those who fear they’re being priced out of exits this summer
A number of Gunners are looking to quit Emirates for first-team chances elsewhere but Arsene Wenger is demanding big bucks
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ARSENAL’S fringe players fear they are being priced out of a summer transfer switch.
A number of the Gunners’ squad are unhappy with the sky-high prices quoted to potential buyers.
Newcastle were stunned by their £15million valuation of full-back Kieran Gibbs, who only has a year remaining on his contract.
Keeper Wojciech Szczesny is priced at a whopping £20million and Lucas Perez at £15m, despite barely playing since joining in 2016.
Keeper David Ospina’s proposed move to Fenerbahce could also collapse after Arsenal raised their asking price at the last minute.
Emirates chiefs are even demanding fees for long-term outcasts Mathieu Debuchy, Carl Jenkinson and Joel Campbell.
But boss Arsene Wenger is under pressure to cut the club’s soaring wage bill to avoid breaching Prem regulations.
New rules prevent a club from using Sky TV money to increase their salary obligations by more than £7million a year.
So any extra rise has to be financed by an increase in commercial activity — or player sales.
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If Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil accept Arsenal’s double-your-money contract offers, it would add £14million to the wage bill.
Wenger must also offer big wages to lure Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette or Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe to the Emirates.
So Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere and Olivier Giroud could be sold to balance the books.