The big meeting on Wednesday did not go well for Arsenal, as reports suggest that Robin van Persie wants to assess his options before considering any contract to stay at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners had wanted to sign the Dutchman to a new contract before Euro 2012, but that is now very unlikely. According to The Guardian, van Persie has “no intention” of accepting Arsenal’s proposed deal until he is able to review finalised offers from other clubs. With RVP currently training at the Holland camp, it appears as if this transfer drama will stretch out past Euro 2012 and late into the summer.

Manchester City and Juventus are the two favourites to land van Persie if he leaves North London. Both clubs firmly believe that the Dutchman has already decided to leave Arsenal, though the Gunners are still hopeful that they can convince van Persie to stay. Another outcome could see Arsene Wenger hold on to van Persie through the final year of his contract. Wenger has previously said that he would be willing to risk losing him on a free transfer next summer.

I am of the opinion that it is useless to employ a player who wants to go. If the Gunners cannot hammer out a deal with van Persie, then he should be sold. Imagine a scenario in which we do retain Robin for the final season of his contract. If he is adamant on leaving, then surely he will not give all of his heart for the red and white. In addition, van Persie could suffer through an injury-riddled campaign next season, and we could end up gaining no value for his departure next summer. Holding onto van Persie until his contract expires is not a smart football or business decision.

Patrick Vieira is also worried about how Arsenal will handle the Robin van Persie situation in the coming months. Though he currently works at Manchester City, Vieira is obviously knowledgeable about the way the Gunners operate. On Thursday, Vieira said:

“I think losing Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas last year was a big shock for the people who love Arsenal. If they lose Van Persie it will be a drama. With Samir and Cesc you could say, ‘OK those two are gone, but there is Jack Wilshere and Van Persie still at the club’. But if Robin leaves who is behind? If he leaves it’s going to be difficult for Arsenal to keep the top players, next year it may be Theo Walcott, then Jack Wilshere. But if they keep Robin they’re going to send a positive message to all the clubs and to all the people around. It’s really important to keep him.

“I’m quite surprised his contract (which is entering its last year) has got to this stage. It’s really difficult to find players of the quality of Robin Van Persie with one year left around the world and there will be a lot of teams who will want a player like him, not just Manchester City [who Vieira now works for]. They should have settled this a long time ago, but Arsenal don’t need me to tell them that. That’s the way it is and they will have to deal with it. There’s still a year, he’s not gone yet.

“Robin wants to win trophies. Arsenal have to show him he can do it with Arsenal. The best way for them to get him to sign a contract is to bring players to the club who can show him that the club are in the same line as him.

“We know how Robin loves Arsenal, that’s not the question; the question is how Arsene Wenger will convince Robin they can win trophies.

“Arsenal has qualified for the Champions League again but it’s not enough. I’m sure that if you ask Arsene he’ll say, ‘of course it’s not enough’. All the people at the football club will tell you it’s not enough.

“They’ve been quite close [to winning trophies] for quite a long time. They’ve got a lot of young players so over the years they can get experience and they’re going to be better players. The first step is to keep all the quality players and the talent.” (Source: The Independent)

Vieira’s anaylsis is interesting; however, it is not totally correct. If Arsene Wenger and his players were able to overcome the loss of their three top midfielders (Cesc and Na$ri left and Wilshere was injured for the entire season), then why can’t they handle the departure of van Persie? Time after time, Arsene Wenger has had to deal with a depleted squad, yet his teams always seem to avoid a total collapse. Arsenal existed before Robin van Persie, and they will surely exist without him if he decides to leave.

Robin van Persie will meet with Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis on Wednesday. The Gunners hope they can convince van Persie to stay at the Emirates Stadium by offering a record-breaking contract and explaining Wenger’s vision for the club. If Arsenal are unable to hook the Dutchman, Manchester City will be ready to pounce.

According to the BBC, van Persie, Gazidis, and Wenger will rendezvous at Wenger’s house on Wednesday at approximately 10:30 BST. At the meeting, Gazidis and Wenger hope to induce van Persie into signing a new Arsenal contract, though a deal is unlikely to be finalised before the Dutchman departs England for Euro 2012 training.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph have reported that van Persie will be offered a £130,000 per week contract for either three or four years. Also included in the deal will be a £5 million signing-on fee. If RVP accepts the proposal, he would become the highest-paid player in Arsenal’s illustrious history.

Arsene Wenger is expected to attempt to entice van Persie by painting a picture of Arsenal’s future. The French manager will declare Arsenal’s dream of capturing major silverware in the coming years. While that may seem laughable to some Arsenal critics, Wenger and Gazidis will discuss potential transfer activity to provide evidence for their vision. Apparently, van Persie fully endorsed the signing of Lukas Podolski.

In any event, Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis will try their best to impress van Persie. However, if their plan fails, Manchester City—and a plethora of other top clubs—are prepared to strike. According to The Mirror, the new Premier League champions are willing to hand van Persie a £250,000 a week contract. Bearing in mind that the Dutch striker currently makes £90,000 per week, that would be a massive pay rise.

Yet the Gunners appeared determined not to let another player leave for Manchester City. Arsene Wenger has said previously that he would not sell van Persie to City, and reports have indicated that the Dutchman would not be keen on moving to an English club.

The season has just ended, and the drama surrounding van Persie’s future will continue unless a new contract is agreed to before the European Championship.

Optimism is in the air at the Emirates Stadium as reports indicate that Robin van Persie will reject any offer from Juventus. However, Barcelona and Real Madrid still remain the primary choices for the Dutchman if he leaves Arsenal.

According to The Guardian, Robin van Persie is not interested in a move to a Seria A club. This is significant because new Italian champions Juventus have already publicly expressed their wish to sign the Dutchman. The general director of Juventus, Giuseppe Marotta, said:

“Van Persie is a great player. He is a complete player and would be useful to any team. But he still has one year left on his contract with Arsenal. We will try to put the icing on the cake this summer but the important thing is that the mix is good.” (Source: calciomercato.com)

Barcelona and Real Madrid are the main contenders in the battle for Robin van Persie. Still, Arsenal have the advantage because van Persie’s contract does not expire until the end of next season. As we have posted about previously, Arsenal will meet with van Persie and his representatives before the start of Euro 2012. If the Spanish giants have any hope of prying the Dutchman away from North London, they will need to submit a massive bid. Dominic Fifield of The Guardian is reporting that Arsene Wenger is under no pressure from the board to sell van Persie, and Wenger has said in the past that he would consider holding onto the Dutchman for the last year of his contract.

According to The Daily Mail, Robin has told friends and family that only an “extraordinary offer” from one of European football’s superpowers could force him to leave Arsenal. The Dutchman and his family are very happy and settled in London; the van Persie family has just moved into a new house.

The meeting between the Dutchman and Arsenal, which is expected to occur shortly after the season concludes, may decide whether van Persie stays at the Emirates Stadium. According to The Mirror, the Gunners will probably offer a £5 million signing-on fee to van Persie. In addition, any potential new contract awarded to RVP will break Arsenal’s current wage structure according to The Guardian.

If all of this information is to be believed and combined, the chance of van Persie leaving appears to be slim. Of course, as Gooners, we should realise that everything can change suddenly once a huge bid comes in from Real Madrid or Barcelona. Still, it’s nice that there is a feeling of hopefulness surrounding an Arsenal transfer saga for once.