Arsenal Transfer News: RVP's Presence with Club Bad for Gunners

The Robin van Persie rumors have died down a bit since the Dutch striker announced on his website that he would not be extending his contract with Arsenal.

In a bold move that was undoubtedly carried out in an attempt to put an end to the transfer madness once and for all, van Persie said, "I’ve thought long and hard about it, but I have decided not to extend my contract. You guys, the fans, have of course the right to disagree with my view and decision and I will always respect your opinions."

That was noble of van Persie to announce his decision on his own accord, rather than allowing the tabloids to ravage his decision with possibly inaccurate reports, but things are looking more uncomfortable than ever with the Gunners.

According to Mirror Football, van Persie will join his Arsenal teammates on the team's preseason tour throughout Asia. That will remain true unless another club forks over the necessary finances for his services. In the above report, Mirror Football states that Manchester City and Juventus are two prospective teams that could pry Arsenal's leading scorer away.

Of course, van Persie doesn't have much of a choice but to embark on Arsenal's preseason tour that begins at the end of July, but it makes for an extremely awkward environment for every footballer involved.

Van Persie's possible departure following next season isn't because the team can't afford his services. This isn't a situation where a small-market team is outbid by a big-spending team for one of the best players in the world. This entire circumstance has been propelled by van Persie's desire to carry out his own agenda.

Back at the end of May, when this whole fiasco began to snowball, van Persie said that he would only stay at Arsenal if they made a valiant effort to win silverware (per The Daily Mail).

It must be strange for his teammates—new and old—to have to play alongside a man who doesn't appear to be fully invested in the future of a team he has been with since 2004.

Luckily for Arsenal, there is still plenty of time until the regular season begins, which gives the front office some room to wiggle in terms of negotiating transfer prices with other teams. According to Mirror Football, "Arsenal want at least £20million for 28-year-old van Persie, with [Manchester] City’s opening bid at around £15million."

While van Persie's teammates are giving it their all through training and the rest of the preseason, they may not know how much RVP truly cares about the result of the upcoming season.

Things like that lead to spats and locker room fissures that are capable of completely decimating the chemistry and internal makeup of an entire football team.

There isn't much that Arsenal can do with van Persie right now, so don't be surprised if things get a bit hairy in the locker room in the next few months if the star striker remains on the roster.