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Robin van Persie: Arsenal dismiss Manchester United bid

By David OrnsteinBBC Sport

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments507

Robin van Persie

Arsenal have dismissed Manchester United's bid for Robin van Persie, with offers from Manchester City and Juventus also short of their valuation.

It is understood Arsenal are reluctant to enter formal negotiations until a bid exceeds £20m and they are hopeful of holding out for £25-30m.

Van Persie, 28, will not be part of the Gunners squad that leaves on Saturday for a pre-season tour to Asia.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed United have made an offer.

"Obviously Arsenal have given out the fact that we've made a bid for him," Ferguson told MUTV.

"We try to keep business as close as possible to us until the moment we conclude a deal. There's no point talking about something that might not happen.

"There are other clubs interested in the player. We've shown an interest and that's where we're at at the moment."

The striker, whose contract ends in 2013, says he will not sign a new deal.

Van Persie scored 41 goals in 53 games for club and country last season and was named Professional Footballers' Association and Football Writers' player of the year.

However, he suffered a disappointing Euro 2012 campaign, scoring only once as the Netherlands were eliminated at the group stage.

After meeting with manager Arsene Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis in mid-May, captain Van Persie revealed he had disagreed with both men on the way the Premier League club should move forward.

"I've thought long and hard about it, but I have decided not to extend my contract," he wrote on his website.

"This was a meeting about the club's future strategy and their policy. Financial terms or a contract have not been discussed, since that is not my priority at all.

"I personally have had a great season but my goal has been to win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days.

"Out of my huge respect for Mr Wenger, the players and the fans I don't want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward."

Arsenal are scheduled to play matches in Malaysia, China and Hong Kong over the next two weeks.

They face a Malaysian XI on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, then head to Beijing to face Manchester City on 27 July. The Gunners finish their tour against Kitchee FC in Hong Kong on 29 July.

Van Persie will remain in England while his team-mates are away on tour, working on his fitness at Arsenal's London Colney training base.

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507 comments

  • Comment posted by User0515437539, at 11:35 20 Jul 2012

    RVP Seasons @ AFC

    2004/05 Played 26 Goals 5 Assist 0 *I love AFC*
    2005/06 P24 G5 A0 *I love AFC*
    2006/07 P22 G11 A3 *I love AFC*
    2007/08 P15 G7 A2 *I love AFC*
    2008/09 P28 G11 A10 *I love AFC*
    2009/10 P16 G9 A7 *I love AFC*
    2010/11 P25 G18 A11 *I love AFC*
    2011/12 P38 G30 A9 **MY AMBITIONS R BIGGER THAN ARSENAL***

  • Comment posted by User0745215199, at 10:55 20 Jul 2012

    People who talk about loyalty with football players are deluded. At the end of the day it's their job, if you were offered more money at one place to another then you'd go for the larger wage.

  • Comment posted by ebensdad, at 10:52 20 Jul 2012

    Not sure Arsenal will worry too much about allowing RVP to move to a PL rival. Only played one good season out of the last 5 or 6 and he will probably miss a large proportion of the season injured. Given his age Arsenal should cash in and farm him out to sit the bench at another club. RVP has no respect or loyalty but sadly not many in football do.

  • Comment posted by Lanterne rouge, at 11:28 20 Jul 2012

    Has the Birmingham City bid for RVP not been received by Arsenal, then?

  • Comment posted by User0317789503, at 11:25 20 Jul 2012

    @BlackCavFrankel

    Like you said in your comment he's been at the club for 8 years and he carried us for ONE season, who stuck by him through all his years on the treatment table? Who believed in him and made him into what he is today after Feyenoord banished him to the reserves due to attitude problems?

    It takes more than a season to pay back all of that mate.

  • Comment posted by User0117014667, at 17:16 20 Jul 2012

    To : Mr van Persie
    From : The Arsenal board
    Your job is to play football, ours is to run the club/business. It is not wise to talk publicly about each other's area of responsibility. We note that your desire to win trophies exceeds your loyalty to the club which rewarded you handsomely whilst turning you into a top player. You're going to the first to offer 20m, even if it is Athletico Kebab.

  • Comment posted by Crerands Revenge, at 12:41 20 Jul 2012

    Don’t want him at United. They way he’s treated Arsenal, after they stuck by him when he was crocked, tells you he is much more suited to Mercenary City. They will also pay over the odds for him, and give him astronomical wages, as they have no class.

  • Comment posted by User0931492552, at 17:55 20 Jul 2012

    I say sell him to Anzhi - they have 'ambition' and a recruitment process that might match RVP's if Arsenal's does not. Maybe some time in Dagestan will give him perspective.

  • Comment posted by User0771116979, at 11:04 20 Jul 2012

    @ none of the above

    Hahahaha RVP going to Anfield, he wants to win trophies, not scrap for a europa league place each season.

  • Comment posted by DavidLW, at 10:46 20 Jul 2012

    Arsenal fans know that RVP has always been a world class striker but too injury prone to show it on a consistent level.The lack of loyalty he has shown to the club after supporting him through his rehab days and the way he went about announcing his exit is wounding.£15m is not enough for our star and captain-either pay more or send a statement to others by showing no man is bigger than the club

  • Comment posted by RoyaltyinTheChampionship, at 10:47 20 Jul 2012

    Sooner we get a salary cap to make the Premiership competitive the better.

    Money means Man Utd and Man City (or Chelsea) will always buy the best players but the fact they are buying the best player from the team that finished third means the league is getting more and more uncompetitive!

  • Comment posted by U14841845, at 15:47 20 Jul 2012

    Flog him for a decent price, buy Ganso and Llorent and rub his face in it when his team are finishing 2nd or 3rd
    Money
    If this wasn't about greed then why doesn't he move to Montpellier, or Borussia Dortmund, they both won their league
    Rooney would have left if Manu had they not given him £300,000 a week
    The most embarrassing example is Ibrahimovic moving to PSG, he doesn't even know the league

  • Comment posted by albert obalsam, at 12:42 20 Jul 2012

    was waiting for someone to quote clough and taylor - fact is they spent the equiv of several hundred million at derby and forest to win league titles , the whole history of professional sport since the late 1800s has been awash with winners who have cost large amounts of dosh to get where they are ? - the examples of winners on a shoestring budget are very few and far between i am sorry to say

  • Comment posted by User0878203543, at 11:22 20 Jul 2012

    As a city fan I hope we dont sign van persie. Will never have another season like last one and quite injury prone. The other way to look at it is with, Aguero, Tevez, Dzeko & Balotelli why do we need another striker and how can a 5 big name strikers get games and form partnerships? Will end up like a Ranieri team where a different team starts every match and nobody gels.

  • Comment posted by Eat_The_Rich, at 16:49 20 Jul 2012

    "if you were offered more money at one place to another then you'd go for the larger wage"

    Moot point. 50'000 people don't watch me write software. Millions of consumers around the world won't feel hurt and betrayed if I'm no longer a part of the product my company sells. Personalities don't play the same role in most careers as they do in football. It's not comparable to a 'normal' job.

  • Comment posted by User0806367036, at 11:13 20 Jul 2012

    Im actually quite pleased how much interest there is in him. If we have to lose out on a few million to sell him to juventus then so be it. I think rvp had one of those seasons which he could never play that well again. I hope walcott will now play striker and we invest the money in either m'vila or id like de rossi. Also give the captaincy to vermallen or arteta

  • Comment posted by User0209727941, at 11:39 20 Jul 2012

    Net spend for the last 5 years in the Premier League...

    Manchester City: £430.77 million
    Chelsea: £159.7 million
    Liverpool: £99.25 million
    Sunderland: £57.6 million
    Tottenham Hotspur: £49.4 million
    Manchester United: £47.25 million
    Swansea City: £8.25 million
    Everton: £5 million
    Newcastle United: -£30.25 million
    Arsenal: -£31.3 million
    So quash all rumours that United buy the title.

  • Comment posted by plath, at 15:23 20 Jul 2012

    little mercenary.

  • Comment posted by Thar_She_Blows, at 11:56 20 Jul 2012

    @111. bocajr

    Well since 1992, Man Utd have spent a little over £502m.

    Liverpool have spent £570m.

    Man City have spent £649m.

    Arsenal have spent £365m.

    Chelsea have spent £782m.

    Spurs have spent £430m.

    These are for the clubs that challenge for Premier League titles with Spurs and Arsenal as outside possibilities.

    As you can see, Man Utd haven't spent as much as you might think!

  • Comment posted by D1710739895111, at 17:51 20 Jul 2012

    @397 starting line up for April 2012 manchester derby
    Hart £1.5m
    Kompany £6m
    Zabaleta £6.45m
    Lescott £24m
    Clichy £7m
    Barry £12m
    Nasri £24m
    Silva £30m
    Yaya £6.7m
    Aguero £38m
    Tevez £26m

    £181.65m


    De Gea 18m
    Evra £5.5m
    Jones £16.5m
    Ferdinand £30m
    Smalling £8m
    Giggs £0
    Park £4m
    Carrick £18.6m
    Nani £17.3m
    Scholes £0
    Rooney £25.6m

    £143.5m