Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Gunners Must Keep Van Persie from Manchester City

Interest in this year’s best player in the Premier League will strongly play in how Arsenal moves forward in the 2012-13 season.

Manchester City’s talks with forward Robin van Persie puts Arsenal is a position of investing in its most dominant offensive threat or rebuilding its team and identity.

The 28-year-old Dutchman won two Player of the Year awards — Professional Footballers' Association's Player of the Year and Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year—for his key role in Arsenal’s third-place league finish.

Of the Gunners' 74 goals in the Premier League, van Persie scored 30 of them. Theo Walcott, Arsenal’s second highest scorer this season, made eight goals.

And as all eyes were on van Persie after his best of eight seasons in Holloway, Premier League Champion Manchester City took notice.

Man City Chairman would pay van Persie £13 million a year, The Guardian reported Friday. It would put three of the 16-highest paid soccer players in the world, including Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez, on the roster.

If van Persie were to move from London to Manchester, it would leave a vacuum at the top of Arsenal’s depth chart.

The speculation and possibilities of van Persie’s swap, in addition to the club’s desire to beat Man City and Manchester United, which finished Nos. 1 and 2 in the Premier League above Arsenal, have ignited dreams of who Arsenal will pick up in the off-season.

The biggest prospect is Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey. The American scored 17 goals in 2011-12 and could help pick up any scoring productivity if van Persie leaves. Dempsey could be a smart move for Arsenal as midfielder Jack Wilshire just had knee surgery May 22. He expects to be ready by next season, but there is no telling what could happen.

Rumors also foresee Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou playing for Arsenal in 2012-13. Kalou scored five goals for Chelsea last year and only one in Premier League play.