Arsenal head off PSG interest by offering Arsene Wenger his job for life

Arsene Wenger will be told he can have a job for life at Arsenal in a bid to fend off Paris Saint Germain.

Wenger, 58, recently advised PSG on the appointment of their new president and now the French club would like to snap him up when his contract expires at the North London club in 2011.

Wenger's close friend Charles Villeneuve was a surprise appointment as president at PSG this week and it is claimed in the French media that he got the job on Wenger's recommendation.

Reports in France also claim that when Villeneuve - head of sport for TV station TF1 for whom Wenger is a regular pundit - leaves PSG, then Wenger would be their first choice as successor.

Wenger has insisted he will not go on managing for as long as his rival Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, and in France it is believed his next role could be as a president, chief executive or director of football at another club.

But Arsenal are desperate to keep Wenger beyond his current deal and are confident of persuading him to sign at least one more contract as boss.

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has always said that there is a job for life at the club for Wenger because of his superb 12 years in charge, but Wenger has hinted that he would find it difficult to move upstairs at Arsenal as it could interfere with his successor.

However, for all the boardroom unrest at the club over the past 12 months, the manager has a very strong relationship with director Danny Fiszman.

Fiszman has insisted that the board will fully support Wenger in the transfer market and the club are close to announcing the £11m signing of Marseille forward Samir Nasri, as revealed in Mirror Sport.

Wenger also won a boardroom power struggle that led to the departure of managing director Keith Edelman. Arsenal will appoint a chief executive to replace Edelman who will deal with football matters such as transfers, contracts and financial matters at boardroom level in a similar style to Manchester United's David Gill.

After the departure of David Dein, Wenger was believed to be upset that Mathieu Flamini was allowed to leave at the end of his contract because the club had not been quick enough to get him to sign a new deal. Wenger is now set to lose Alexander Hleb with, Barcelona now the favourites to sign him. But his departure will be covered by the arrival of Nasri and the club is hopeful of making two more deals with Wenger believed to be looking at Hamburg midfielder Piotr Trochowski and Lyon's Hatem Ben Arfur .