AC Milan step up interest in Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey after appointing Ivan Gazidis as new CEO
Gazidis failed to tie Ramsey down to a new deal leaving him in the last year of his contract and now he could pinch midfielder on behalf of his new club Milan
Sponsored by
AC MILAN may step up their chase for Aaron Ramsey after snatching Ivan Gazidis from Arsenal.
Gazidis quit as the Gunners chief executive yesterday to take up a £3.6million-a-year role with the Italian giants.
And one of his first duties could be to try to tempt midfielder Ramsey to swap North London for a new life in Serie A, .
Ramsey has entered the final year of his contract at the Emirates and Gazidis had come under fire from Arsenal supporters for failing to get him to commit to a new deal.
That leaves the Welsh international with the potential to quit the club on a free transfer next summer - and the Gunners at the mercy of one of their top stars for the second successive season.
Much of the early stages of the last campaign was dominated with uncertainty surrounding the futures of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil who were both in the last year of their own contracts.
It allowed the stars to effectively hold the club to ransom, by demanding bumper new contracts or threaten to walk away for nothing the following summer.
Ultimately the Gunners had to cave in and allow Sanchez to leave for Manchester United, while the club went out on a limb to offer Ozil a £300,000-a-week new deal.
And a similar scenario is now boiling up with 27-year-old Ramsey who has so far resisted all attempts to get him to put pen to paper at the Emirates.
Milan have previously registered their interest in the midfielder, although the prospect of having to stump up a big fee on top of wages has frightened them off.
Most read in football
But with Ramsey becoming available without any transfer fee, he has suddenly emerged back as one of the players they are considering.
And with Gazidis starting work at the San Siro in November, Milan suddenly have someone in a senior position who has a relationship with the player and is in tune with his demands.
Arsenal would not take kindly to someone who has know the workings of the club so well to come back so quickly to nab one of their key players.
But there is little they could do to prevent Ramsey opening talks with the Italians in January because of his contract situation.