Adebayor Agent Challenges Arsenal to Up the Stakes

Emmanuel Adebayor's agent has warned Arsenal to make every effort to persuade the striker to stay at the club, in the wake of repeated reports linking him with a move abroad. Adebayor, who has neither signed his new £45,000-a-week contract nor definitively committed his future to the club, is wanted by both Barcelona and Milan, who have claimed Arsenal are valuing the forward at £35.6m.

"It is vital that Arsenal show their motivation to keep him," said Stephane Courbis. "There has been a love story between Adebayor and Arsenal and his relationship with Arsène Wenger is based on trust and respect.

"If this was a money problem, then he would have asked to leave," Courbis told the Evening Standard. "I know that Arsenal's political position is that they don't pay high salaries. Whatever they decide, the decision will be taken with respect."

Milan have effectively been priced out of the market to buy Adebayor and the club's vice-president Adriano Galliani said: "Bids of £35.6m are impossible for Italian clubs, which is why the top players don't come here anymore."