Bharath Rammr
Arsene Wenger and Arsenal are monitoring the situation of Michael Carrick at Manchester United. The midfielder’s contract with the club comes to an end in the summer. Even though there have been reports that he would be offered a new deal following his brilliant first-half of the season, Jose Mourinho may very well put together stringent conditions that may effectively see the midfielder leave the club to a place where he will be revered.
Carrick is currently on wages of around £130,000 per week. Recent reports have suggested that United will offer a new deal only if the midfielder is ready to agree to wages of around £70,000 per week. Since this is a drastic drop in wages, it remains to be seen if Carrick will agree to this new contract. It is a major gamble on the part of the former England international considering that Manchester United are going to go on a spending spree even in the summer. It would mean no guaranteed first-team opportunities and only lower wage scale.
Arsenal are rumoured to be keen on taking advantage of the uncertainty surrounding the player. Despite suffering a major setback in the title race following a 3-1 loss against Chelsea, Arsenal are keen to strengthen the squad with a lot of experience in the summer. Signing such quality players would be extremely important in order to retain the big names at the club. There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. Both players have entered into the last 18 months of their contract and are yet to agree terms with the club.
Ozil has explicitly stated that his future at Arsenal will depend on the future of manager Arsene Wenger. The presence of Wenger at Arsenal is also in doubt with the manager having less than six months on his current contract. Alexis Sanchez has been linked with a move to Chinese football where he has reportedly been offered wages in excess of £400,000 per week. Arsenal have tabled an offer worth around £180,000 per week, while the player is demanding around £250,000 per week to stay at the club.
The addition of a player like Carrick would be a major boost to the squad considering that he is one of the most experienced in the Premier League when it comes to winning trophies. In his time at United, Carrick has won five league titles and one Champions League honour amongst many others.
