Arsenal say they can afford to sign Wayne Rooney

Arsenal’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis has revealed they can afford to sign Wayne Rooney next season.

Gazidis claimed the Gunners were entering a new era of “financial firepower” meaning they could afford to pay a transfer fee of more than £20m and wages in excess of £200,000 a week for the Manchester United star.

The Emirates chief used Rooney as an example but manager Arsene Wenger, known for prudence in the transfer market, has already admitted he would not turn down the chance to sign the unsettled England international.

Asked about the potential to break a rigid pay structure for big-name deals, Gazidis said: “We could do that, we could do more than that.

“It is going to be the players that Arsene believes in. He is pretty blind to price tags, he looks at what he sees with his eyes and makes judgements based on that, and not on reputations and prices.

“We have a certain amount which we’ve held in reserve and we also have new revenue streams coming on board. All of these things mean we can do some things which would excite you. We can think about all kinds of things.”

Asked directly if the club could afford Rooney, Gazidis added: “I don’t know what his fee would be.

“I’m talking about an extra £70m of additional, high-margin revenue – so of course we could do that.”

“This year we are beginning to see something we have been planning for some time, which is the escalation in our financial firepower.”

“That is going to happen partly into next season, it is part way available now in the summer, but the following season as well.

“It is a progression over the next two seasons and is quite significant for the club. We should (eventually) be able to compete at a level like a club such as Bayern Munich.

“I am not saying we are there by any means, we have a way to go before we can put ourselves on that level, but this whole journey over the past 10 years really has been with that goal in mind.”