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According to todays Mail on Sunday England and Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole is ready to turn down Manchester City and make a dramatic switch to Arsenal after the World Cup.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is anxious to strengthen his team, now that Cesc Fabregas, on duty with Spain in South Africa, is expected to leave for Barcelona at the end of the summer.
Capital gains: Joe Cole and his family are keen to stay in London
Cole would not be a direct replacement but the signing of the England man would go some way to soothing the frustration of Arsenal fans, whose team have not won a major trophy since 2005.
While City are also said to be keen on Cole, the stumbling block for both clubs has been Cole’s pay demand of about £100,000 a week.
Cole’s negotiations with Chelsea are understood to have broken down, which would make the 28-yearold a free agent when his contract runs out this summer.
Cole’s view is that because he can sign for a new club without them having to pay the £10million he could command on the open market, he is entitled to request a lucrative financial deal.
On the move: Joe Cole prepares for training at England’s World Cup base in Rustenburg
But a source close to one of the negotiating clubs said: ‘He’s a good player but there are wage structures in place which will prevent clubs giving him what he wants. Maybe he will have to be more realistic.’
The player and his family are keen to stay in London. But Arsenal would not break their pay structure for Cole, with Robin van Persie and Fabregas currently the top earners on about £90,000 a week.
While Cole missed most of the season with injury – and just squeezed into Fabio Capello’s final squad of 23 for South Africa – he is now on the verge of making the starting line-up against the United States next Saturday.
Wenger, with about £30m to spend plus whatever comes in from Fabregas, is likely to pursue Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, ending Manuel Almunia’s career as Arsenal No 1.
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