'The Ox' on brink of jumping ship to Blues

LONDON - England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to join Premier League champion Chelsea from Arsenal, according to British media reports on Monday.

According to The Guardian, The Independent and ESPN the clubs have agreed on a fee for the 24-year-old, who was substituted during the Gunners' 4-0 thrashing by Liverpool on Sunday.

The Independent said the Blues will part with $45 million and further strain the relationship between coach Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal supporters, who have seen little improvement from the team in the early part of the season from that of last term.

Wenger said earlier this month he wanted to keep Oxlade-Chamberlain, nicknamed 'The Ox' by Gunners fans. The former Southampton player is with the England squad preparing for World Cup qualifiers and is due to discuss personal terms with Chelsea on Tuesday.

"In the last year he has made huge progress and personally I want him to stay for a long time," said Wenger. "I'm convinced he will be the English player that everybody will look at in the next two years."

Arsenal will at least get a fee for Oxlade-Chamberlain, which would not have been the case had he seen out the final year of his contract - the same situation Arsenal find itself in with German World Cup-winner Mesut Ozil and Chilean star Alexis Sanchez.

Wenger, though, has said in the past he is willing for them to see out their contracts and leave for nothing.

The Frenchman's acquisitions in the offseason have done little to allay fans' skepticism over his signing of a new contract after the Gunners won the FA Cup.

Only French striker Alexandre Lacazette, for a club-record $70 million, and Bosnian international defender Sead Kolasinac, on a free transfer, have joined in the offseason.

Chelsea has been much more active in adding, among others, Spanish international striker Alvaro Morata and France midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko.

The Blues also have the likes of England midfielders Danny Drinkwater and Ross Barkley still in their sights before the summer transfer window closes on Thursday.

Agence France-presse

(China Daily 08/30/2017 page22)