Sampdoria have given up their pursuit of Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, according to Calciomercato.com.
The Italian club made a bid, reportedly worth up to £7.5m, last week but have since decided to pull out of the race for the 25 year old after discovering they can’t afford the England international’s wages.
There were also a few other issues which made the deal unlikely to happen. Arsenal are said to be demanding close to £9m for the midfielder and Sampdoria don’t have the finances to match the asking price. In addition to his injury record, and uncertainty over his role in the Serie A side’s first team, it was decided that it was best to end their interest.
With Sampdoria out, the only teams left in the race appear to be Antalyaspor and West Ham. The Turkish club were a surprise name in the mix for Wilshere but it seems that, like Sampdoria, finances could prove an issue. The club’s president Ali Safak Ozturk said earlier in the week that Arsenal’s demands meant any transfer would be “difficult” to pull off.