Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Must Offer Robin Van Persie Monster Deal

When it comes to your best player, sometimes you have no choice but to throw everything you possibly can at him and hope that it's good enough to keep him around.

Such is the case facing Arsenal and captain Robin van Persie. The Gunners star is entering the final year of his contract, due to expire at the end of 2013, and Arsenal are desperate to keep him, but knows their pockets aren't as deep as some of the other clubs desperate to acquire him—namely Manchester City.

According to the Daily Star, Arsenal are preparing to enter contract talks with their star striker on Wednesday and are ready to offer Van Persie a three-year deal worth about £130,000 per week, with a singing bonus of £5 million. 

But if reports are true that City is ready to offer him a massive £25 million deal, as the Mirror reports, Arsenal might have to match that or risk saying goodbye.

A deal like the one City is allegedly proposing amounts to almost double what Arsenal are offering.

According to the Mirror, however, Van Persie is worth more to Arsenal for one year than all the money they'd lose by selling him now. Apparently, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is prepared to hold on to Van Persie through the end of 2013 and risk losing him on a free transfer rather than sell him now to a rival. 

The Mirror also reports that Wenger won't sell Van Persie to City, no matter what. Arsenal could hope that when their star arrives to discuss contract negotiations, he's eager to stay, but if he tells them he wants to leave (unlikely, considering his wife recently told a Dutch magazine that they've called London their home for eight years and love it there, according to The Guardian), Arsenal may have to consider other options.

Is holding on to Van Persie for one more year and forgoing millions a worthwhile trade-off?

The Mirror reports that Arsenal may have to offer Van Persie a fourth year in order to get him to stay, so soon, we might see how truly willing they are to give him anything to keep him around.

In the end, it could just come down to Van Persie's personal preference rather than the money—and if that's the case, Arsenal will be the front-runner.