Arsenal would be mad to break the bank to bring Aaron Ramsey back… even if it means he seals Man Utd transfer
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JUVENTUS are said to have put Aaron Ramsey on the transfer list after just one season - but Arsenal would be mad to break the bank to bring him back.
The Wales midfielder left the Gunners on a free transfer at the end of last season after the club - then under Unai Emery - failed to tie him down to a new contract.
Juventus have developed something of a reputation for bringing in star names for absolutely nothing - and they're not afraid to pay them either.
But that has meant Maurizio Sarri has been lumbered with Ramsey's astonishing £400,000 a week pay cheque - for four years, too.
I was sorry to see Ramsey leave Arsenal, of course - but I certainly wouldn't be a fan of him returning to North London.
Manchester United have been linked with the former Cardiff ace - which could see Paul Pogba moving back to Turin.
I would hate to see a former Arsenal man at Man Utd AGAIN - Robin van Persie, anyone?
But I won't be losing any sleep over the rumours of Ramsey to Old Trafford.
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As an Arsenal fan, I'm sure I'm not alone in believing Mikel Arteta shouldn't be looking to sign an injury prone player who turns 30 this year.
Since recovering from his horrific, career-threatening injury at Stoke, the Welshman has endured 18 separate lay-offs.
Those injuries have seen him miss a staggering 98 league matches for Arsenal and Juventus.
And HALF of those knocks have all involved his hamstring - a worrying trend for a player who relies on darting box-to-box.
Having watched Ramsey for years, it's painfully obvious Ramsey needs to be 100 per cent fit to be at his best - which, granted, is top class.
Then there's the finances of the deal... even if Ramsey were willing to take a 50 per cent wage cut, it would still be beyond Arsenal’s budget.
On top of that, Ramsey’s style doesn’t particularly complement the one Arteta has finally got the team playing.
And even if Man Utd were prepared to try to tempt Ramsey to return to the North-West, I can't see him ever being interested.
We all know how he feels about our club and he will have seen how those fans who still worship him - as a two-time FA Cup-winning hero - turned on Van Persie.
The Dutchman headed to Old Trafford to win the league but going there these days holds no guarantees of glory.
Lastly, reports in Europe claim Ramsey is learning Italian, keen to win trophies and prepared to fight for more game time in Italy.
There is no doubt that post Covid-19 Juventus will have to reduce their squad, which is overloaded with central midfielders.
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But Ramsey isn't even the first name out of the door, you'd think - with Sami Khedira and Blaise Matuidi ahead of him in that respect, both overpaid and 33-years-old.
So while I admire Ramsey and am grateful for what he gave my club and achieved with us, there should be no move to bring him home.
At his age, with his injury record and on those crazy wages, it's a no from me.
While I don’t blame him for taking on the challenge of playing for a giant of world football, I hope that continues to be in Turin, not Manchester.