Arsenal club chiefs have reportedly confirmed players who have two years left on their contracts and refuse to sign a new deal will be sold by the club.
The Gunners have suffered a host of recent transfer sagas when it comes to out-of-contract players, with Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey leaving the club on a free.
Sanchez joined Manchester United last year in a swap deal after running down his contract, while Ramsey signed a pre-contract with Juventus in January ahead of a summer switch.
Mesut Ozil also used the same strategy when it came to his new deal and the club gave into his mammoth wage demands, making him the best paid player at the club by some distance.
At a fans’ forum before the win over Manchester United, managing director Vinai Venkatesham and director of football Raul Sanllehi addressed the supporters in a 90-minute meeting, alongside surprise guest, club director Josh Kroenke.
Venkatesham and Sanllehi admitted the Gunners needed to be more ‘efficient’ and make the hard calls before being backed into a corner by players.
The Mirror claim the Arsenal bosses said in the future, players who were running down their contracts would be offloaded.
There are several Arsenal players with contracts set to expire in 2021, including star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Ozil too will be heading into the final two years of his deal in the summer, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis also in the same boat.
Arsenal are expected to be bring in a club’s technical director in the coming weeks, with former Roma chief Monchi set to be appointed.
Kroenke assured fans Arsenal’s main goal was to win silverware and backed Unai Emery to bring success back to the club.
Emery is on track to secure Champions League qualification for next season after Arsenal beat United at the Emirates on Sunday.
The Gunners now sit two points clear of fifth-placed United and are in pole position to claim top four with eight games left to play.