Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Wise to Reject Manchester United's Van Persie Bid

Although there has been talk about Arsenal keeping star striker Robin van Persie for the upcoming season despite his unwillingness to sign an extension, other clubs continue to pursue his services. Manchester United reportedly made an offer, but the Gunners made the right decision in rejecting it.

According to David Hytner of The Guardian, the Red Devils made an offer, but it wasn't believed to be anywhere near the £20 million asking price that Arsenal desires. With that in mind, the Gunners had no reason to give in to Manchester United's wishes.

For one, van Persie scored 37 goals last season, so Arsenal certainly shouldn't give him up for a penny less than it wants. If teams want him badly enough, then they will eventually ramp up their offers and make them competitive.

Perhaps Manchester United was just throwing out a feeler, but the Gunners made it clear that they want a certain amount for the Dutch goal scorer.

Even more so than the money, Arsenal can't let rivals like Manchester United walk all over it. The Red Devils are already the best team in the EPL along with Manchester City, and giving them van Persie at a discounted price is only going to set the Gunners further back in their pursuit of a title.

Man U and City appear to be two of the most interested teams, so while Arsenal may ultimately be forced into sending RVP to a top EPL squad, those teams should have to pay through the nose to get him.

If at all possible, I'm sure that the Gunners will look to move van Persie outside the EPL to a team like Juventus, though, since he couldn't really come back to haunt them that way.

Of course, keeping van Persie is still an option as previously mentioned. RVP hasn't softened his stance regarding an extension as he hasn't seen eye to eye with manager Arsene Wenger, but perhaps things can change over the next year. Van Persie only has 11 months remaining on his deal, but winning can cure a lot of things.

Arsenal finished a distant third in the EPL last season behind City and United, but the acquisitions of Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud should help draw the Gunners closer. Taking van Persie's incredible production out of the equation would be a huge step back, but if he remains with the team through next season, then Arsenal can very much compete for the EPL title.

The Gunners are in an unenviable position because any decision that they make is bound to be criticized and second guessed. If they keep him and fail to win the EPL, then they are likely to lose him for nothing. If they sell him, particularly to a competitor, then they are significantly weakening themselves and setting up another team for success.

Regardless of what ends up happening, Arsenal has done the right thing thus far.

I get the feeling that Manchester United was trying to bully the Gunners into giving up van Persie at a discounted price, but Arsenal refused to give in. As long as the Gunners remain steadfast in their beliefs during this process, they should be fine in the long run.

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