Arsenal Transfer News: Jack Wilshere Reportedly Set to Leave on Free Transfer

Jack Wilshere will leave Arsenal on a free transfer this summer after discussing his role at the club with new head coach Unai Emery, according to John Cross of the Daily Mirror.

Cross described Wilshere's decision as a "U-turn" following conversations with Emery, during which the midfielder learned he could be no more than a "fringe player" under the new regime.

Should Wilshere leave, he won't be short of suitors, with Cross naming Premier League trio Everton, West Ham United and newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers as interested parties.

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Serie A duo Juventus and AC Milan are also said to be keen.

Wilshere's Arsenal contract expires this summer, but the Gunners have made the 26-year-old an offer. Cross detailed how terms of "£110,000-a-week to stay plus a £65,000 bonus if he plays and the team wins taking him potentially up to £175,000-a-week" have been put in front of Wilshere.

Emery not being able to ensure Wilshere would start regularly is hardly a surprise. The diminutive No. 10's technique and trickery were always more at home in the expansive style of play favoured by former manager Arsene Wenger.

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Emery took over after Wenger stepped down in May following nearly 22 years in charge. The new man in the dugout generally favours a more pragmatic and direct brand of football than the steady, possession-based game Wenger made Arsenal's hallmark from 1996 onwards.

Back in May, the Telegraph's Daniel Zeqiri described how Emery's team are less free-formed and more rigid structurally, while intense pressing is another tactical staple.

A look at Emery's early plans for the Arsenal midfield shows the shift in progress. Switzerland international Granit Xhaka agreed a new contract on Friday, per the club's official website, and he is a more robust player than Wilshere.

In terms of new blood, the Gunners are closing in on Sampdoria's Lucas Torreira, according to the Guardian's Fabrizio Romano:

Uruguay international Torreira is similar in physical stature to Wilshere but much more aggressive and destructive in style:

His relentless work rate is also ideal for a pressing style based on winning the ball back as quickly as possible:

Aside from Torreira's potential arrival, Emery has also inherited Mohamed Elneny and extended the contract of breakout 20-year-old Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Wenger's successor has also been forthright about his desire to make Aaron Ramsey central to his team, per the Telegraph's Jeremy Wilson. Ramsey is out of contract in 2019, but he offers more box-to-box energy and goals than Wilshere.

Every move Arsenal have made regarding the midfield this summer indicates they are ready to move on from Wilshere. It makes sense since his overall development has been blighted by injuries and inconsistency, while stylistically he's not a natural fit for Emery.

Securing Ramsey's future and building a more physical style around Xhaka, Elneny, Maitland-Niles and possibly Torreira, should be Arsenal's priority over making room for Wilshere.