What’s the story?
Arsenal selling their star player to a Premier League rival is something that's been happening for years now. This year, they are reportedly set to repeat it.
Liverpool are keen on signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and The Independent are now reporting that Arsenal are willing to sell him. The winger also wants to leave the Gunners as he does not believe he will get enough game time at Emirates.
Meanwhile, reports in the Mirror suggest that Liverpool are set to launch a £30 million bid for the Arsenal star. The midfielder has just a year left on his deal and is also said to be frustrated at the lack of talks over a new deal.
In case you didn’t know...
Arsenal have sold a lot of their star players to rivals clubs in recent years. Manchester City are the ones who have signed most of their players while Manchester United signed their best striker in the last decade.
All the players who joined rival clubs directly from Arsenal have gone on to win the Premier League while the Gunners are yet to win one since the "Invincibles" 2003/04 season.
Cesc Fabregas moved to Barcelona and then joined Chelsea in 2014 and has gone on to win the league title twice. Despite all that, Robin van Persie's move to United is the one that is hated the most by the Gooners.
The heart of the matter
Liverpool have secured the signing of Mohamed Salah from AS Roma for €42 million. But Jurgen Klopp wants to add more pace on the wings.
The Red's are back in the Champions League after a 2 year's absence and Klopp wants to make the most of the situation. The former Borussia Dortmund manager wants to bolster his attack and has made it his top priority this summer.
Arsenal need to sell some players in order to retain Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil as their wage bill will increase substantially if the duo signs new contracts. The rules say that a club’s wage bill should not be more than £7m more than it was in 2016-17, or £19m more than from the 2012-13 season.
What’s next?
Arsenal and Liverpool will hold talks in the coming days for Oxlade-Chamberlain and decide on a fee. Should a deal be agreed, the player will then hold talks and decide if he wants to move to Anfield or not.
Author’s Take
Chamberlain wants to join a side where he can play regularly. With Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah already in the squad, it's difficult to see how the Englishman would fit in the starting XI.
