Ramsey wants RVP to stay

Speculation over the Netherlands international's future has been rife in recent weeks with Manchester City, Manchester United and Juventus having all been linked with moves for the 28-year-old in the wake of his announcement that he would not be signing a new contract.

Van Persie scored 37 goals last season, 30 of them in the Premier League, and claimed both the PFA and Football Writers' Association Player of the Year awards, and Ramsey is hopeful that despite all the rumours, the club can retain his services.

He said: "We don't know anything that goes on. We hope that he stays at Arsenal.

"He had a brilliant season last year and he is a big player for us, so we are just hopeful that he will stay."

Van Persie's sparkling form helped the Gunners to stage a fightback after a poor start to the season which saw them win just two of their first seven league games, a run which included an 8-2 drubbing at Manchester United and a derby defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

However, they rallied to such an extent that they eventually ended the campaign in third place and secured a UEFA Champions League qualification berth which at one point looked beyond them as they claimed 33 of the final 45 points on offer.

Nevertheless, the Gunners, who have added Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud to the squad during the northern summer, still finished 19 points behind the two Manchester clubs, and Ramsey is convinced a better start this time around could help them to close that gap.

He said: "If we get off to a better start this season than we did last season, we know we are capable of finishing pretty strongly, like we did last year.

"We have brought in a couple of players who are well-known and hopefully we can put ourselves in a position to compete early on."

Ramsey's own preparations for the new season have been rather different this year with the 21-year-old currently on Olympic Games duty with Team GB.

He said: "I haven't been in this position before where I have missed out on a pre-season with my club, so it's a bit strange.

"But it's going to be a one-off, so I am happy to be here and be a part of it."

Ramsey will re-join the Arsenal squad after his Olympic adventure, and will return as club-mate Jack Wilshere continues his fight for fitness.

The 20-year-old missed the whole of last season with an ankle problem and then had to undergo minor knee surgery, and his Welsh counterpart knows how difficult that can be after spending 10 months on the sidelines with a double leg fracture.

Ramsey said: "The worst position you are in is when you are on the medical bed and you can't get out on that training pitch.

"I understand what he is going through at the moment, but he has to be mentally strong - which he has been so far - and he will be back before he knows it, playing again and showing what he can do."