Arsenal are insisting they will not be held to ransom over Aaron Ramsey’s new contract but still hope the midfielder will commit his future to the club.
The 27-year-old is seeking a significant increase on his £110,000-a-week wages and the two parties continue to be some way apart over an agreement.
While Ramsey’s agency used Twitter last week to dismiss the notion he wants parity with Mesut Ozil — who signed a £350,000-a-week agreement in January — that deal has complicated negotiations as it changed the parameters over what is a feasible demand for other leading players. Ramsey is understood to be seeking to double his wage but has been told Ozil’s deal should not be considered a benchmark to aim at because the German has specific worldwide commercial value that helps offset the club’s huge financial outlay.
New boss Unai Emery is also under pressure to reduce a bloated wage bill, which runs at a record high of more than £200million.
Ramsey has been a key figure since joining Arsenal from Cardiff a decade ago and it was a surprise when he did not start against Chelsea on Sunday.
It is understood there were some concerns about a lingering calf injury but with the European transfer window open until August 31, his omission adds an intriguing element to the ongoing contract talks.
