Liverpool are monitoring Theo Walcott’s situation at Arsenal with a view for a bid if his contract situation doesn’t get sorted soon.
According to a number of English papers, including Daily Mirror, the Express and Telegraph, the Reds are monitoring the England internationala s contract situation at Arsenal, with a view to a summer move.
Walcott has just over a year left on his current deal, and Arsenal have offered him a new deal but the player is stalling it at the moment. The Express report that the big issue with the player is game time. With the arrival of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck in the summer, Arsenal have plenty of power in their attack and don’t necessarily need Walcott to be playing 90 minutes every game. And with his playing time reduced (also because of his recurring injury issues) Arsenal will not want to pay steep wages for someone who will be in and out of the side so often. It has been reported that the player wants a rise on his A?100,000-a-week wages and the contract negotiations have become complicated due to that.
Liverpool made an inquiry about the player before the England international signed his latest Arsenal contract in January 2013 and it is said that Reds manager Brendan Rodgers is a big admirer of the player.
Media outlets are reporting that the Reds interest in Walcott comes in the wake of the youngster shelving contract talks till after the season. Sterling’s contract extension has been a major issue for the club in the last three-four months and the player has yet not signed one because of complications with his own representatives and their demands. Sterlinga s Liverpool contract does not expire until 2017, but with a host of top European clubs including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester City watching his development, the Merseysiders naturally want him to commit for a long time.
Telegraph have further reported that “Liverpoola s interest in Walcott is not necessarily completely dependent on the future of Sterling, as doubts linger over whether Mario Balotelli will remain at Anfield past this season”.
Liverpool landing Walcott in the summer could very well depend on whether they finish in the top-4 as the player wouldn’t want to give up Champions League football. Walcott has grown up as a Liverpool fan but that would hardly be a point of consideration for him while making a decision.