Arsenal have reportedly opened talks with midfielder Aaron Ramsey over extending his stay at the club.
The 27-year-old has 18 months remaining on his current deal at the Emirates Stadium, and manager Arsene Wenger is eager to resolve his future before his contract enters the final year, having seen similar situations with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil cast a shadow over the club recently.
Sanchez has since left the Gunners, but Ozil eventually agreed terms on a £350,000-a-week deal which makes him Arsenal's highest-paid player of all time.
The Gunners also spent big to attract Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the Emirates Stadium in January, and The Mirror reports that they are now braced for difficult negotiations with Ramsey due to their recent expenditure.
The Wales international is expected to command a hefty pay rise in line with those awarded to some of his teammates, having netted his first career hat-trick at the weekend to take his tally for the season to six goals and six assists.
Ramsey is one of a number of first-team players who will be entering the final 12 months of their contracts this summer, including Petr Cech, Nacho Monreal and Danny Welbeck.
Barney Corkhill
