The_Guardian_-_2016-12-29

harmed during the 2013 transfer saga involving Luis Suárez and the infamous attempt by the London
club to trigger a buyout clause that turned out not to exist. Liverpool were incensed that Arsenal bid
£40m plus £1 for the Uruguayan and, three and a half years on, the damage to the clubs’ relations is
still to be fully repaired.
The interest from Liverpool, however, is genuine and there is hope at Anfield that Oxlade-
Chamberlain might be tempted by the vibrant side Klopp is building at a time when the player’s
valuation is starting to recede because he is within 18 months of his contract expiring.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has scored six times in all competitions this season but has become frustrated by
his inability to pin down a regular position in Arsène Wenger’s team, starting only eight Premier
League matches and lasting the full 90 minutes on only one occasion, when West Ham were beaten 5-
1 in early December.
At 23, however, he is still young in football terms and a player who joined Arsenal from Southampton
for £12m in 2011, shortly before his 18th birthday, would still be a relatively expensive acquisition,
with a valuation in today’s market in the region of £20m-£25m.
Arsenal were open to the idea of selling him in the summer but Wenger stated recently that he wanted
the player to sign a new contract and remain at the club for what should be the best years of his
career. Arsenal, however, have not shown any great desire to instigate talks even though a number of
clubs, including Manchester City, Leicester City and Southampton have persistently been linked with
a player who has 24 England caps.
This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/28/liverpool-considerjanuary-move-arsenal-alex-oxlade-chamberlain
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