Arsenal's pursuit for Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi is reportedly coming to an end as the Argentine striker is set to sign a new five-year deal with the Italian Serie A club anytime soon.
The 23-year-old Rosario, Argentina native "has sent a message" himself to I Nerazzurri's fans, as well as to his present suitors such as the Gunners, using his social media account that he will stay at the San Siro for the long term with a new contract.
"New objectives, but always with the same love for this shirt for three years.. And for many more..." Icardi tweeted on Sunday with a photo of him wearing an Inter Milan jersey, as per the Daily Express.
Icardi is said to have chosen to stay and sign a five-year, £4.3 million per year deal with Inter even when Arsenal offered him a £5.8 million annual wage to join them at the Emirates Stadium.
Icardi's wife and agent, Wanda Nara, is reportedly disappointed about La Beneamata's reluctance to give his husband and client a raise earlier in the summer. The Inter team captain is currently earning £2 million and the new deal will effectively increase it by a little more than 100 percent even if the Gunners' offer is £1.5 million larger.
Nara is said to have flown to England twice before to talk with Arsenal's top officials, but no deal came to fruition despite the lengthy negotiations.
Meanwhile, Gunners head coach Arsene Wenger recently defended himself again for missing another transfer target this summer, saying that he will sign a new player but will "not waste cash just to please the fans".
"If we find the right player we will not be reluctant to spend big," the 66-year-old French mentor said. "If I just bought someone for £45 million will I have done well?"
"I will spend £300 million if I find the right player, and we have £300 million. But we also have 600 employees and we need to have a responsible attitude as well," he added.
Caught Offside noted that Icardi's new deal with Inter will come with a release clause worth "between €100 million (£86 million) and €110 million (£95 million) which only applies to clubs outside of Italy".
