Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain contract talks 'to open in next fortnight'

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has is reportedly prepared to offer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain wages of £100,000 a week to fend off interest from Premier League rivals Liverpool.

The England international, also linked with Manchester United in the past, is soon to enter the final 12 months of his current deal at the Emirates Stadium.

According to The Sun, Liverpool in particular are watching developments closely and could be prepared to pounce this summer, but Wenger hopes to have tied the 23-year-old down to a new deal by then.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has impressed in a central role this season, as well as at wing-back in recent games, and Arsenal will reward him by tabling improved terms in the next two weeks.

Arsenal are also sweating over the long-term futures of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, both of whom are about to enter the final year of their contracts.