Wenger turns Real Madrid 40 m pound offer to commit to Arsenal

Arsene Wenger will commit the rest of his career to Arsenal after turning down a 40 million pound offer from the Spanish football club Real Madrid.

Real's president-elect Florentino Perez was desperate to lure the Frenchman to Spain but the Gunners boss has decided to stay in England, reports The Sun.

Wenger would have been handed a five- year deal which, with bonuses for winning the Champions League and La Liga, would have added up to almost eight million pounds a year. He was also promised a free hand on recruitment by Perez, who also wanted him to eventually become Madrid's sporting director.
 
However, despite being flattered by the deal, Wenger has decided to stay put and will sign a new deal at the Emirates that will tie him to Arsenal for at least another three years.

That will also give him the platform to begin the restructuring work Wenger knows he needs to carry out on his latest Arsenal team - starting with the sale of Emmanuel Adebayor to AC Milan.

Wenger's current contract is up at the end of next season and the Arsenal board are anxious to get another deal in place as quickly as possible.

They were fully aware of Madrid's overtures to their manager and that Bayern Munich were also interested. But they will now be delighted to discover Wenger has no plans to leave as the club prepares for its Champions League showdown with Manchester United.

He has always insisted he would never break a contract but influential members of the Arsenal hierarchy were concerned Wenger was simply running down his present deal. Now, however, they can start planning for the future safe, in the knowledge Wenger, 59, is still committed to the cause.