Van Persie saga to end as Arsenal ready to agree Man Utd terms
Published:A transfer story that has dominated much of the close season may be set to come to an end, with Manchester United thought to be on the verge of clinching Robin Van Persie’s signature.
Sir Alex Ferguson has long admired the 29-year-old Dutchman, though it was believed that Serie A or La Liga was his most likely destination, following him outlining a desire to quit the Emirates earlier this summer.
United’s great rivals Manchester City were also interested, and their unparalleled resources made it appear more likely that Van Persie would opt for Eastlands rather than Old Trafford.
That wouldn’t appear to be the case however, and the Red Devils are now thought to be in pole position to land Van Persie in a £20m deal, which could be confirmed in the next 24 hours.
Arsene Wenger was hopeful of recouping around £25m for his captain, but with the season fast approaching, he now appears ready to sell in order to quickly generate funds to further improve his own squad.
Celtic midfielder Ki Sung-Yeung is thought to be on Wenger’s wishlist after impressing for South Korea at this summer’s Olympics, and the sale of Van Persie would allow Arsenal to test the Scottish champions’ resolve with a bid.
Meanwhile, the Manchester Evening News believes Van Persie is set to depart Arsenal’s German training camp within the day, and should arrive in Manchester to finalise his move within the next 24 hours.
With developments seemingly moving rapidly, it is thought that Brazilian Lucas Moura’s apparent decision to join Paris Saint-Germain has triggered such a chain of events.
19-year-old Moura was a prime target of Ferguson’s, and it is thought that he had set aside around £30m to land the Sao Paolo youngster.
With that move falling through however, United are set to utilise the funds by bringing in long-term target Van Persie, a player who scored two goals in as many games against them last season.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
