Arsenal handed boost as transfer target rejects bumper contract offer from Bayern
Arsenal target Serge Gnabry has rejected a lucrative contract offer from Bayern Munich, according to reports.
Gnabry, a former Arsenal player, has flourished since returning to Germany in 2016, winning every trophy possible during his time at Bayern.
He was unable to establish himself in north London but the Gunners are keen to bring him back to the club this summer ahead of a possible Champions League campaign.
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Gnabry’s contract expires in the summer of 2023 and Bayern were hopeful that an offer to double his salary would convince him to extend his stay at the club, but according to Bild, he has rejected the deal.
The report claims that Gnabry ‘does not feel like the club see him as a pillar for the future’, while wages are ‘a side issue’.
The news will be welcomed by Arsenal, who could either make a move this summer or wait until his contract has expired to sign him for free. Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in the German international.
Gnabry was famously dismissed by former West Brom manager Tony Pulis during a loan spell at The Hawthorns in the 2015-16 season. Speaking to Sky Sports after Gnabry scored four times in a Champions League win over Spurs in October 2019, Pulis said of the 26-year-old: “I’m amazed. We had him at West Brom, we took him on loan and we could never get him fit. He got taken off in an under-21 game.
“He went back to Arsenal and they sold him on. He was a good kid… didn’t mind him at all. He’s fulfilled his potential. You can knock me over with a feather.
“Having worked with him at West Brom and seeing him there to what he’s done is just absolutely amazing. When people show what they can really do… really knuckle down and become so good, as he’s done, it’s absolutely fantastic.”
Arsenal travel to West Ham on Sunday as they look to return to fourth place after Spurs’ win over Leicester. The Gunners can move two points clear of their north London rivals with a win.