Real Madrid tempt Arsene Wenger with £100m pot for players
Published 00:00 20/05/09 By By Martin Lipton, Chief Football Writer
Real Madrid have dangled a £100million-plus war-chest in front of Arsene Wenger in their all-out attempt to entice him from Arsenal.
Incoming Real president Florentino Perez believes Wenger is ready to quit the Emirates after becoming frustrated by the financial shackles he has been forced to wear and a lack of gratitude from a growing number of Arsenal fans. In addition to a salary of £6m a year, Perez will pledge to make £100m available for Wenger to bring in the players he wants.
Gunners chief executive Ivan Gazidis had emergency talks with Wenger yesterday to try to persuade him to stay.
Gazidis travelled to the club's London Colney training ground for an unscheduled meeting which lasted more than two hours.
Wenger is known to be frustrated by the financial limitations at Arsenal because of the cost of moving from Highbury and he lost his temper when criticised by shareholders last week.
Despite Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood's vehement denial that there is a transfer budget of only £13m for the summer, Wenger knows his options will be limited even if he can get £25m for striker Emmanuel Adebayor.
It is understood Gazidis promised the club will back Wenger as far as they can.
But while Perez will not be returning as president until after club elections on June 14, the scale of his ambition have been made clear to Wenger.
Jorge Valdano, who will be installed as Real sporting director, said: "At the moment I can't announce anything, although I will be able to within a matter of days."
