Arsenal transfer news: Chelsea agree Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain fee of £40million
The 24-year-old recently rejected a £180,000-a-week offer to stay with the Gunners, as the Blues close in on England international
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CHELSEA have agreed a £40million fee with Arsenal for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
But Liverpool are refusing to give up without a fight as they still hope to land the England midfielder.
The Ox, 24, now has to discuss personal terms with Antonio Conte’s Blues.
And the Italian boss must persuade him that joining his Premier League champions is the right move for him.
But their offer of £35m now and £5m in add-ons has given them the edge over their Scouse rivals ahead of Thursday’s 11pm transfer deadline.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is out of contract next summer and rejected an offer of £180,000-a-week to stay at the Emirates.
Arsenal were crushed 4-0 at Liverpool on Sunday and boss Jurgen Klopp believes he can get the best out of the frustrated midfielder and place him at the heart of his team.
Gunners insiders claim the club would prefer to do business with Chelsea rather than Liverpool because of the fallout over their Luis Suarez bid.
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Back in 2013, Arsenal made a cheeky £40m and one pound offer to trigger the striker’s release clause — a move that did not go down well with the Anfield brass.
It looks likely Conte will get his fourth major summer signing and leave Arsenal reeling again after Sunday’s humiliation on Merseyside.
Conte, 48, has already signed Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Antonio Rudiger for a combined £129m.
Chelsea know Liverpool could still steal The Ox from under their noses, which is why they are keeping a £32m pursuit of Leicester’s Danny Drinkwater on the back burner.
And that deal has moved closer to becoming a reality with the Foxes closing in on Paris Saint-Germain’s Grzegorz Krychowiak.
Conte still has to convince Oxlade-Chamberlain he will be more than just a squad player.
The Italian wants a spine of English players in his dressing room to tap into their mentality and boost the club’s home-grown players count.
He fears his team will burn out due to the demands of the Prem and Champions League.
Ross Barkley has also been on his shopping list but Everton boss Ronald Koeman revealed there had not been a single firm offer for the player prior to Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
