Arsene Wenger is still pursuing Poland international Jerzy Dudek as his major goalkeeping target in a move that threatens to engulf Highbury in more transfer turmoil.
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Dudek: Still wanted
(TomShaw/Allsport) |
The Arsenal manager is demanding a few more days to try to unlock the financial stalemate involving Dudek and his club Feyenoord.
And the Dutch club, in angrily denying recent claims that they had demanded £10million for the 28-year-old keeper, insisted: 'This matter is not finished yet.'
The bizarre development followed Ipswich's midweek announcement that they had agreed to sell Richard Wright, among David Seaman's England understudies, to their Premiership rivals - a decision that placed Wenger on a potential collision course with Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein.
Chief negotiator Dein was centrally involved in the recruitment of Wright while Wenger - on holiday in the Mediterranean - had this weekend still not surrendered hopes of signing Dudek.
Feyenoord believe the £6.5m deal for Dudek can still be revived within the next 48 hours and the club's technical director Rob Baan confirmed: 'We are still in negotiations with Arsenal.'
But Feyenoord president Jorien van den Herik said: 'All the figures bandied around about a fee of £10m or £8.5m are pure speculation.
'We certainly never gave Arsenal that kind of indication. It would be nice of them to inform us what is going on.'
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