Chelsea are growing increasingly optimistic that they will sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain before the transfer window shuts, despite Arsenal making a huge £180,000-a-week offer that would place the England midfielder among their highest-ever wage earners.

Manager Arsene Wenger has also told Oxlade-Chamberlain that he has a “responsibility” to Arsenal after being nurtured by the club since joining from Southampton at the age of 17 and said that he was now ready to become one of the main pillars of the team.

Arsenal, though, fear that he will turn down the latest offer after already telling Wenger that he will not sign a new deal and, as reported by Telegraph Sport, Chelsea have launched a £35 million bid.

Oxlade-Chamberlain met with Wenger on Thursday and was offered the chance to more than double his wages to a package worth around £180,000 a week. With Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil also prevaricating on even bigger offers, that would place him behind only Alexandre Lacazette on Arsenal’s current wage structure.

Arsenal will clearly feel that this is a very competitive offer given Oxlade-Chamberlain has scored nine goals in his 130 Premier League appearances and only really forced his way into the starting team over the past year.