Recent reports have emerged that Dutch forward Robin van Persie is set to stay with Turkish Süper Lig powerhouse Fenerbahçe SK this summer amidst interest from English Premier League side Stoke City.
Stoke City is currently luring the Netherlands international with a chance to come back and play in the English top flight next season which van Persie is allegedly considering. However, the Turkish squad is keen on keeping the Dutchman, insisting that he is "not for sale" and that he is "happy at the club", as per Caught Offside.
After negotiations with van Persie's agents, Fenerbahçe was able to reach an agreement that the former Arsenal and Manchester United star will stay at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium for the duration of his current contract that is set to expire at the end of the 2017-2018 season.
The report also noted that aside from the Potters, newly-promoted English club Middlesbrough, Italian Serie A giants Napoli, and Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are all interested in getting the services of the 32-year-old striker as well.
Last season, his first in Turkey, van Persie scored 16 times in 31 domestic appearances and have hauled 22 goals in 48 games in all competitions for the Yellow Canaries, indicating that he still got what it takes to be an efficient goalscorer despite his advanced age.
This is perhaps the reason why so many Big Five football clubs are eager to snare him during this summer transfer window, but Fenerbahçe will not be that easy to convince.
Meanwhile, Daily Mail Online indicated that Premier League squads West Ham United and Crystal Palace are also planning on making approaches for van Persie before the summer window closes on Sep. 1.
The article mentioned that "his wages have been a stumbling block" for the said clubs to push through with the deal.
The 6-foot Rotterdam native joined Fenerbahçe from Man United last summer for a reported transfer fee of £4.2 million. He had played three seasons with the Red Devils prior to the move, scoring 58 goals in 105 appearances in all competitions during the said period.
Before that, he was a mainstay and team captain of Arsenal, where he played eight seasons and netted 132 goals in 277 games across all competitions for the Gunners.
