Vieira close to Arsenal deal

Patrick Vieira says Arsenal will get the news they have waited so long for on Monday or Tuesday – that he is signing a new contract.

The Highbury captain, who would be entitled to walk out for free at the end of the new campaign if he decides to just see out his current agreement, has revealed that the “money part” of a new deal has already been settled.

And yet, tantalisingly, Vieira still refuses to say that the business is a formality.

He has been saying for months that he wants to stay at Arsenal despite the overtures of Real Madrid and, more recently, nouveau riche Chelsea.

And he insisted today: “I haven’t changed my mind in the last few days. But I can only say I hope to sign.

“I am meeting the chairman on Monday or Tuesday and I hope it is the last meeting before I say that I am signing. We all want this to be our finalising meeting.

“Of course, I want the best deal for me and the club wants the best deal for the club.

“There are some sticking points but not a major problem but I can’t talk about those.

“We are so close and everybody knows I want to stay because I’m assured we have the expectation to win more trophies.”

Vieira, who will start Sunday’s Community Shield clash with Manchester United after a summer operation on the knee injury which brought an early end to his campaign last season, will not comment on whether or not it is the length of the new deal Arsenal are offering that is causing the only hold-up.

But the Highbury icon – who has been with the Gunners since 1996, his £3.5m (€5m) mover from AC Milan preceding Arsene Wenger’s arrival by just a few weeks – admitted: “The money part of it (the new deal) has already been sorted out.”

Yet he appeared to throw doubt on the matter by adding: “If I go, Arsenal will still be Arsenal. Players come and players leave but a club goes on.”

And he admitted: “I am disappointed we have signed only one new player (German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann to replace veteran David Seaman) this summer but that doesn’t alter the fact that I want to stay.

“I know that collectively, if not individually, we are as strong or stronger than anybody. The club matches my ambitions. I find everything I want here in football and that is why I have been here seven years already.

“There is a special relationship between me and the boss and the players and the fans that I don’t want to lose.”

Vieira admires the way Chelsea have plunged into the transfer market with the mega funds provided by new Russian owner, Roman Abramovich.

He said: “It is exciting for them. When they buy the sort of player they have bought then they would have to think they have a great chance to win the title.

“But for me it is still Manchester United that we all have to beat. It will not be easy for them replacing players like Beckham and Veron but I don’t see them being any less strong.

“People say they might struggle if they lost Ruud van Nistelrooy with an in jury but I think (Ole Gunnar) Solskjaer can do that job, too.

“We were not far away from them last season. We could easily have won the double again. Maybe we lost a bit of momentum and concentration near the end. And maybe that is the part of our game we have to improve.

“Also we started last season without Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg because of their injuries and I missed games as well at the end. Now we have everybody fit and we are strong and concentrated. We feel we can go for all the trophies.”

Wenger who insists FA Cup holders Arsenal will go all out to beat champions United in Sunday’s traditional season’s curtain-raiser, admits: “Of course it is important to get Patrick signed and I’m confident the problem will be solved before the start of the championship.

“Personally I’ve always been confident and optimistic because I know that basically the players want to stay.”

Wenger includes Vieira’s France team-mates Robert Pires and Sylvain Wiltord in that reckoning even though both have stalled on the offer of new deals.

The manager added: “I’m convinced that when that happens we have a team still good enough to compete for everything.

“All the news focus is on Chelsea right now because they seem to be buying a player every day but just because you are a bit poor financially it doesn’t mean you can’t still be successful.

“Of course I would be happy if you gave me the money that Chelsea have given their manager. I would know how to spend it even though my squad is already strongly built.

“I am convinced we just have to get a few things right. We could have won the title again last season but Manchester United’s form at the end was unbelievable and many things turned against us at that same time.

“But I have to say you cannot hope to win the title if you concede 42 goals as we did.”

Veteran centre back Martin Keown is doubtful for Sunday’s Cardiff showpiece after missing Tuesday night’s 3-0 win over Rangers in Glasgow with a hamstring problem while Swiss defender Philippe Senderos, 19, is out with a back problem and, in any case, would only be regarded as an understudy this season.

Wenger also plans to “alternate” French trio Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord and Pires against United having just got them back from international duty in the Confederations Cup but he confirmed that Vieira will start.

He said: “Arsenal v Manchester United is always a competitive game. There are never any presents given away. And this game will give us an indication of how we stand at the start of the new season which is always a great thing to know.”