Arsenal FC set to sell Alex Song as well as Robin van Persie
Alex Song (credit: Victor Fraile/Getty Images)
Arsenal midfielder Alex Song could complete a £15million move to Barcelona this weekend. Song will not play in Arsenal’s Premier League opener against Sunderland and is understood to have informed manager Arsene Wenger that he wants to quit the club and move to Camp Nou. Wenger is hoping to beat Liverpool to the loan signing of Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin as a replacement for the 24-year-old. When asked about the possibility of more signings, and the departure of Song, Wenger had on Friday said: “Both can happen.” Barcelona officials are understood to have travelled to London on Friday to discuss a deal for the Cameroon international, who has two years left to run on his contract at Emirates Stadium. Song earlier this week admitted he was aware of Barcelona’s interest and called the Spanish giants “the best team in the world”. Barca coach Tito Vilanova had last week refused to rule out a move for Song, while several players including Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta in recent days had launched a charm offensive, praising the former Bastia player, who joined the Gunners as a 17-year-old in 2005. Wenger has this week seen Robin van Persie join Manchester United, but insists he still has a squad that can compete for honours. “We have lost world-class players before and we have always survived,” he said. “We wanted to keep Robin van Persie. The reality is when the player doesn’t want to stay, you have two ways – you either force him to stay, or you accept the reality and let him go. I’ve chosen the second solution. “I know it’s a massive challenge and a massive gamble I took, but I feel that we have the quality to deal with the problem we have.” Should a deal go through, Song would become the fourth Arsenal player in five years to leave Emirates Stadium and move to Camp Nou.
