Football: Warning for Vieira

ARSENAL will put Patrick Vieira up for sale if he refuses to sign a new contract this summer.

The French midfielder says he is happy at Highbury but there are growing fears that he intends to see out his current deal, which expires in 2004, and then walk away.

If he stalls on extension talks at the end of this season the Gunners will sell him, rather than let him leave on a Bosman a year later and miss out on a multi million-pound deal.

Some Highbury directors also fear his market value has soared so high he will drift out of their financial reach unless a deal is done soon.

More worrying for Arsenal is the interest of Manchester United, who refuse to rule out a move for Vieira.

Concerns over Roy Keane's fitness have intensified their interest and if Arsenal are forced to listen to offers in the summer they can expect Sir Alex Ferguson to be one of the first to come calling.

The 26-year-old Arsenal captain is just 10 months away from being able to sign a pre-contractual agreement with a foreign club.

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