Parlour suggests RVP-Dzeko swap

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

Although van Persie announced his decision not to extend his Arsenal contract beyond its final year, manager Arsene Wenger is believed to be keen to change his captain's mind. If the Frenchman's attempts are not successful, van Persie is expected to move either to Premier League champions Manchester City or Serie A winners Juventus.

Close to selling off Emmanuel Adebayor to Tottenham, City still retain a host of attacking talent in the form of Mario Balotelli, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Dzeko. However, the former Wolfsburg striker occupies the lowest rung on the pecking order after failing to impress in his debut season. Although Dzeko and City manager Roberto Mancini have denied reports of the Bosnian leaving Manchester, speculation continues to mount that the club may cash in on the player or use him as an appropriate make-weight in a transfer deal.

Parlour told talkSPORT that Wenger should consider requesting for a swap deal involving Dzeko, should van Persie maintain his insistence on leaving the Emirates Stadium.

"I don't know what Arsenal will look at, but if [Van Persie] does want to go to Manchester City then maybe they could look at a swap deal with someone like Dzeko and bring him in," he stated.

However, the former midfielder admitted that his suggested move could hit a snag as a result of Arsenal's paltry wage budget.

"His wages might be a problem, I don't know what kind of wages Dzeko is on at Manchester City and Arsenal have always had that pay structure that they want to keep to and maybe they have to change that," Parlour said.

"Times are moving on and if you want the best players they go for the best money."