Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is heading to the exit door with Arsenal ready to start a £35m auction.
Mirror Sport revealed yesterday that Arsenal have made a final contract offer worth £180,000-a-week but Oxlade-Chamberlain has turned it down and insisted he wants to leave.
That may tempt Arsene Wenger to take Oxlade-Chamberlain out of the firing line for Sunday’s trip to Liverpool because of the ongoing situation.
Wenger has insisted publicly that he does not want to sell but Oxlade-Chamberlain has told him face-to-face that he believes a move would be best for his career and development.
It now looks as if Oxlade-Chamberlain will now be sold rather than let him run down his contract, although Arsenal have yet to receive a bid from Chelsea. Liverpool are watching developments but Chelsea are in pole position.
Wenger is considering playing Sead Kolasinac at wing back on Sunday, especially with fit-again Alexis Sanchez set to return to the starting line-up on the left. That would be a convenient excuse while the club try and resolve the issue.
They have also yet to receive a formal bid for Sanchez from Manchester City and yet it would take a huge offer to tempt them to sell in the final week of the window.
Watford have finally come in for Kieran Gibbs but have yet to table a formal bid let alone agree a fee but a deal could happen. The only club to have made a bid so far was West Brom.
Gibbs has a year left on his contract, Arsenal are willing to sell for around £10m and, contrary to some reports, his wages will not be a sticking point as he is nowhere near being one of the top earners at the Emirates.
But the issue may be whether Gibbs goes now or leaves on a free transfer next summer as he knows there may be game time with Shkodran Mustafi a potential surprise departure.
Mirror Sport understands that Arsenal will sell if they can get their money back on Mustafi after signing him for £34m from Valencia last summer.
Inter Milan and Juventus have expressed an interest. Inter want to do a season-long loan with a view to a permanent deal next summer.
Despite potentially clearing the decks, it is unlikely that Arsenal will have any more incomings. They are long time admirers of Vigil van Dijk but Southampton are refusing to sell.