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Arsenal desperate to clear-out high wage earners

With transfer deadline day just hours away Arsenal have still yet to complete their summer clear-out of squad players and high wage earners.

Andrey Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh, Sebastien Squillaci, Nicklas Bendtner and Park Chu-Young have been on the transfer list for almost two months.

Freeing up the budget for wages was one of Arsene Wenger’s top priorities this summer, but it’s no surprise that the club have encountered difficulties in shifting the aforementioned players, given their hefty salaries.

Although exciting for supporters, tomorrow’s deadline day could prove to be another nerveracking one for Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis.

We’ve compiled a list of the players Arsenal want out and where they could be kicking footballs in the near future.

Andrey Arshavin

The Russian international isn’t keen on leaving London despite interest from his former club Zenit St Petersburg.

His wife, who has only recently gave birth to their third child, is also settled in London which means Arshavin may have to wait until January for a move away from Emirates Stadium unless the likes of Fulham surprise spectators by making a late bid to sign him.

Sources close to the club suggest that it would take ‘at least’ an £8 million offer for Arsenal to even consider letting Arshavin leave, making his exit highly unlikely before August 31.

Interest from: Zenit, Fulham, Galatasaray.
Likely to leave? 3/10

Nicklas Bendtner

Arsenal’s most in-demand fringe player has yet to leave the club, although various European heavyweights have made enquiries for the Danish striker.

Several Bundesliga sides first showed their interest in Bendtner before Euro 2012, but a move never came to fruition due to the 24-year-old’s high salary demands.

Bendtner’s agent will remain in Italy over the next few days for talks with Serie A giants AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus. No bid has come from any of those sides so far.

Interest from: AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan, Genoa
Likely to leave? 7/10

Marouane Chamakh

Arsenal’s Moroccan centre forward came into pre-season training knowing his future at the club was uncertain, so it’s no surprise to see him available for a transfer.

The club would prefer Chamakh to go on loan in the hope of him rekindling his previous good form, with Malaga currently the favourites for his signature.

Besiktas originally denied interest in Chamakh at the start of summer and weren’t expected to make a bid until their manager refused to rule a move out of the equation yesterday evening.

Interest from Besiktas, Malaga, Fulham
Likely to leave? 6/10

Park Chu-Young

Arsenal fans certainly haven’t seen the best of Park Chu-Young – if anything at all. He’s played a handful of reserve and behind closed door games since his Carling Cup debut goal against Bolton and unimpressive performance versus Marseille.

One of the reasons for originally signing Park seemed to be a commercial ploy to raise Arsenal’s profile and increase shirt sales in Asia, something which has become even more apparent following the club’s recent Asia pre-season tours.

Several European sides had made tentative enquiries for Park, before Arab side Al-Ahin sent an official to London for negotiations just over a fortnight ago. It’s expected that Park will reject the move as he isn’t keen on leaving England for United Arab Emirates.

Interest from: Al-Ahin, Al Hilal, Celta Vigo.
Likely to leave? 5/10

Sebastien Squillaci

Squillaci has remained firm on his stance at Arsenal, refusing to be bullied by the club into signing a mutual termination agreement for a six-figure sum.

Monaco first showed interest in Squillaci before pre-season, but that quickly fizzled out after being put-off by the Frenchman’s high wage demands.

Similarly, Bastia and Greek champions Olympiacos couldn’t persuade the 31-year-old to take a wage cut, although the latter side are still ‘hopeful’ of securing a deal according to sources in Greece.

Likely to leave? 4/10

Keep updated with ALL the latest transfer news ahead of Deadline Day by following Gooner Talk on Twitter.

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