Arsene Wenger Has No Plans to Sell Aaron Ramsey Regardless of Contract Situation

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has denied the club would look to sell Aaron Ramsey should he enter the final 12 months of his current contract, per James Benge for the Evening Standard. 

Wenger recently admitted that if he "had his time again" he would sell Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City in August, per John Cross for the Mirror, and with this in mind the Arsenal boss was quizzed over how he would handle Ramsey's developing situation.

Asked if he would seek to push Ramsey out of the club should contract negotiations be unresolved over the summer, Wenger said, "no, not at all," per Benge. "You talk always to me 'he'll go somewhere.' It's for what? Money."

And money is reportedly the biggest stumbling block over a potential new contract for the Wales international. Ramsey's deal is set to expire in the summer of 2019 with the club facing "growing anxiety" over his demands, per Sami Mokbel of MailOnline. 

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Mesut Ozil's new £350,000-per-week contract has reportedly shifted the goalposts, meaning the likes of Ramsey are now expecting a significant wage increase in line with the deal offered to Arsenal's German playmaker, per Mokbel. Ozil's deal was signed shortly after the club agreed to pay both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitryan around £200,000 per week.

Despite changing his mind over how the club handled the Sanchez saga, Wenger was adamant he would not lose Ramsey at the end of the current season, arguing that the club's philosophy will convince the Welshman to stay.

"We want our players to be proud of the values that have been created by people that's based on hard work, humility and a desire to be together," he said, per Benge. "That's the values we want the players to take charge of and to stay together and show these values. That's what I want. That's my dream."

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Ramsey has been in superb form this season, scoring a hat-trick against Everton in the Premier League at the beginning of February. His goal in the 2-0 win at AC Milan on March 8 took his tally for the season to seven in all competitions.

Sanchez's contract situation, and subsequent departure, was only solved in January this year but already Wenger is facing similar questions regarding another one of his key players, Jack Wilshere. The England midfielder only has three months remaining on his deal, with the likes of AC Milan, Juventus and Sampdoria reportedly ready to take him to Serie A, per Neil Fissler and Mikael McKenzie for the Express.

It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that Wenger faces fresh questions regarding Ramsey's contract status. For now the 27-year-old will be focused on Thursday night's crucial Europa League second leg against AC Milan, but the question mark over his future looks set to linger for some time.