Arsenal is preparing to smash its current wage structure as it prepares to hold contract talks with captain Robin van Persie, it was reported Tuesday. The Gunners sealed a rollercoaster season Sunday by clinching a third place finish that gives them automatic qualification for next season's Champions League group stage. Now the north London giant has turned its attention to the key issue of trying to persuade Dutch striker van Persie to extend his stay at the Emirates beyond his current deal which expires in 2013. A clutch of clubs are keen to secure van Persie, with newly-crowned champion Manchester City able to offer the 28-year-old financial terms that would easily eclipse anything tabled by Arsenal. However, the Daily Mail reported Tuesday that van Persie, currently earning around £70,000 ($112,000) per week, would be offered a three-year deal worth a weekly salary of £130,000 plus a signing bonus of £5 million. The Mail reported that van Persie will meet Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and club chief executive Ivan Gazidis Wednesday to discuss his future. Meanwhile van Persie, who is reportedly keen to stay in London, has praised the spirit shown by Arsenal to finish third after a season which featured a series of low points, including an 8-2 thrashing by Manchester United and an abject 4-0 drubbing by AC Milan in the Champions League. Scholes to play on for another season Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes will play on for another season, the club's manager Alex Ferguson said Monday. The 37-year-old former England international quit at the end of the 2010-11 campaign but came out of retirement in January and played a key role in helping United finish second in the Premier League behind Manchester City. “I am delighted, he knew he had made a mistake,” Ferguson told MUTV at United's player of the year dinner. “He now realizes if he plays 25 or 30 games next season, they will be of real quality. “I think this will be Paul's last season. We know him very well. We have had him since he was a kid. We know how to use him.” With several United midfielders injured, Scholes made a shock return to the side as a substitute in the FA Cup third-round win at Manchester City in January and played 21 matches before the end of the season, scoring four goals. Hazard Ligue 1 top player Lille midfielder Eden Hazard was named Ligue 1's best player for the second year in a row Monday before a probable move to Manchester. The Belgian playmaker, also named the French League's top prospect in 2009 and 2010, beat Montpellier midfielder Younes Belhanda, Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud and Paris St. Germain forward Nene in a vote by Ligue 1 players and coaches. Hazard, who led 2011 French champion Lille to third place this season, is set to leave the club this year with the Premier League his likely destination. “It will be Manchester,” he said at the ceremony without disclosing his preference for English champion City, or runner-up United. “The decision is about to be made. You will soon know.”
