Arsenal today revealed that their £13 million signing Olivier Giroud was a replacement for Van Persie. The French international joined the north London club from French outfit Montpellier. It was thought that he would be playing alongside Van Persie but this news will annoy some fans who feel as though they were kept in the dark as to what Van Persie wanted to do.

Van Perie has openly admitted that he will not sign another contract and with only 1 year left, it will be hard for Arsenal not to cash in. Manchester City and United are both thought to be interested, with City showing more interest. There were also reports from Juventus and Barcelona linking the layer to a move abroad, but all seems to be up in the air.

Arsenal scout Gilles Grimandi told le10sport.com that Van Persie: ‘Was the recruitment of Giroud made to compensate for his Van Persie’s departure? Yes, we worked to avoid being cornered. We want him to stay home but he is left with one year on his contract so it is complicated. At Arsenal, there is a healthy atmosphere, he’s been here for eight years and he has a real commitment to the club.’

Grimandi also revealed that Van Persie would be sold if a suitable offer came in: ‘If there is a great offer and if he wants to leave, it will be difficult to keep him. I would never have thought that players such as Thiago Silva could be transferable and that was the case at a time. There are parameters you cannot handle.’