The Ox, long time rumored to be heading out of the Emirates, is now officially on the move. Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a long time target for numerous teams, including Premier League rivals Southampton and Liverpool, is leaving the Gunners. He will stay in the English top flight however, and he won’t even have to relocate from his current city.
Chelsea FC have reportedly reached a £35 million deal with Arsenal to bring the British international over, with his medical to transpire at England training camp.
Three Lions are prepping to take on Malta in a World Cup qualifier on Friday. According to the Daily Mail, Oxlade-Chamberlain “held crunch talks with the Gunners last week but rejected a final contract offer worth £180,000-a-week and made his intentions to leave clear.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain is out of contract next season, just like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, and thus he could still end up leaving the Gunners next year on a free transfer, if this deal somehow falls through. It is still subject of course to the player passing the medical and finalizing personal terms. Multiple outlets report that the Ox’s new Chelsea deal will keep him at Stamford Bridge for five seasons.
Overall, in the big picture, with Oxlade-Chamberlain on the move and the futures of Ozil and Sanchez uncertain (not to mention #WengerOut momentum as strong as it’s ever been once again), it appears a major rebuild could be in store soon for Chelsea’s rivals.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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