Inter Milan to stun Arsenal with van Persie bid?

Highly speculative rumours this morning have suggested that new Inter boss Jose Mourinho will return to England for his first major transfer when he tries to sign Arsenal’s van Persie. The Dutchman is currently with Marco van Basten’s squad at Euro 2008 but may have played his last match in Arsenal colours if this story is correct.

Whilst unconfirmed the thought of van Persie leaving the Emirates would send a shudder down the spine of most Arsenal fans. van Persie has missed most of the second half of the season and his absence coincided with Arsenal’s downturn in fortunes. The former Feyenoord striker is a key part of the attack and his waspish pace and eye for goal represent huge attributes to the Arsenal attack.

Inter are looking for reinforcements for next season as they look to mount a dual build for honours in Serie A as well as in the Champions League. Winners of Serie A for the last two seasons, Mancini’s failure to bring Inter success in Europe cost him his job, as Moratti moved to instate Mourinho.

The former Chelsea and Porto boss will no doubt be familiar with what van Persie would bring to Inter Milan and he could be a potential replacement if they fail to bring Ricardo Quaresma to the club. Inter have been long standing admirers of Quaresma but with Liverpool also heavily linked with the Porto player, Inter may switch their attention to other targets.

AS Roma’s right footed left winger Mancini has been persistently linked with a move to the San Siro in the last 12 months and is another option as Inter look to replace the retiring Figo. He was persuaded to stay on an extra year after they failed to find an adequate replacement for him 12 months ago but now definitely have to find at least one right sided player for next season.

A transfer fee of around £15 has been speculated on as the proposed amount that Inter would give Arsenal for van Persie, and given his injury layoffs in recent seasons this may be an attractive proposal to Arsenal.

Arsenal’s inability to hold onto their best players has been a source of frustration for the fans for several years and whilst few question the transfer dealings of Arsene Wenger in the market, their inability to hold onto their top stars could become an issue.

The departure of Mathieu Flamini to AC Milan may have set in motion a sequence of events that could seriously undermine Arsenal’s challenge next season. Alexandr Hleb has been the subject of fevered transfer speculation with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Inter Milan all thought to be close to a move for the Belarusian.

Emmanuel Adebayor is supposed to be arousing the interest of AC Milan, although the latest seems in indicate that Arsenal have managed to get the Italians to back off their main striker. With so many players potentially leaving the Emirates it is therefore no surprise to hear that a player of the calibre of van Persie is also being touted for a move away.

Nevertheless this story could simply be an Inter cover as they look to bring in the real player they are after which could be Hleb, Quaresma or Mancini.

Arsenal would be mad to sell him. I fit Van Persie is probably the difference between us winning the league and losing it

Yeah Van persie would be a loss if he went. Hope he stays he's good for the premiership