Contract talks between Arsenal and Aaron Ramsey remain at a standstill, alerting Chelsea and Manchester United to his potential availability in January.
The Welsh midfielder - who was surprisingly left out of Unai Emery's starting XI that lost to Chelsea on Saturday - is out of contract next summer, when he will be able to leave the club on a free transfer.
Arsenal find themselves in the same position as last season, when both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez had just a few months left on their contracts.
According to The Sun, Arsenal fear that Ramsey could leave the club with talks over a new deal continuing to stall.
The 27-year-old, who currently earns £110,000-a-week, wants closer to the £300,000-a-week deal that top earner Mesut Ozil takes home.
But Arsenal are reluctant to commit to such a massive contract, with their wage bill already the highest in the club's history, and have been slow to try and tie Ramsey down.
He can begin negotiating with foreign clubs from January to leave on a free transfer the following summer, which could force Arsenal to sell when the window reopens in the winter.
Both Chelsea and United are monitoring Ramsey's situation closely and there is a fear around Arsenal that they could lose another star to a Premier League rival if they are not careful.
Ramsey has made an inauspicious start to the new season, hauled off against Manchester City in the opening game of the season and then dropped to the bench against Chelsea.
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