Arsenal Director of Football Explains Why Aaron Ramsey Has Been Allowed to Leave on Free Transfer

Arsenal director of football Raul Sanllehi has suggested that Aaron Ramsey's impending departure is for the best of the club. 

Ramsey looked set to sign a new contract at the Emirates, before a potential deal was taken off the table by the club. The Welshman has subsequently confirmed that he will leave the club in the summer when his contract expires, but not before. 

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Liverpool and Manchester United have been linked with moves for Ramsey, while the midfielder is free to talk to foreign clubs in January and arrange a pre-contract agreement.

In addition to Premier League interest, the likes of Juventus and AC Milan have been mentioned as potential suitors for Ramsey.

Amid the fallout over the failure to complete a new deal for the midfielder, Sanllehi has now suggested that the decision was made in the best interests of the club.

When asked about the decision to allow Ramsey to leave by BBC Sport, Sanllehi didn't comment directly but he gave an indication as to how the decision was eventually made.

"I am not here to talk about individual cases but to talk more of the philosophy we are bringing," he said in an interview with BBC Sport.

"Any decision that we take is thoroughly discussed, debated among several professional people sharing one common objective, which is what is best for the club?

"Any decision we take along this way, is always going to be based on whether this is good or bad for Arsenal, if it's a responsible decision or if it can be detrimental for Arsenal, that is basically our main criteria in every step of the decision making."

Ramsey is Arsenal's longest serving player, having been at the club since 2008. The midfielder has won three FA Cups, and is the highest scoring midfielder in the club's history. 

Sanllehi also refused to rule out making signings in the January transfer window, but admitted that significant new arrivals would only happen in "emergency cases".

Arsenal, who take on Leicester on Monday night, already signed Bernd Leno, Sokratis, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi over the summer, for a combined total of around £70m.