Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere says he wants to resolve his contract dispute before the 2018 World Cup in Russia this summer, reports the Express. The 26-year-old has been offered a paycut to his £100k-per-week salary to extend his stay at the Emirates, but Wilshere is holding firm.

Manager Arsene Wenger has said there’s only one offer on the table for the English international that won’t be improved upon, which hints that Arsenal could let him go unless he agrees to their demands.

The dispute has been going on for weeks and Wilshere is desperate to resolve the situation before the World Cup comes around, as the new transfer window closes before the start of the season in early August. The World Cup runs from mid-June until mid-July, limiting the time for players to negotiate deals.

“Ideally from my point of view and the club’s point of view, they will probably want it sorted. I want it sorted as soon as possible. I want to go to the World Cup and enjoy it and we have three months till then and a lot can happen,” he said.

“But if it’s not, I don’t think it would be a distraction because this is probably one of the most important years of my career. If I had let the contract and the future go to my head, and I had worried about that, I would have probably ended up leaving in January.”

After recovering from a leg fracture in April 2017, Wilshere returned to the Arsenal first-team in mid-October and has made 17 Premier League appearances this season. The 26-year-old has played in nine of Arsenal’s 10 Europa League outings and EFL Cup final defeat to Manchester City last month.

It seems he wants to stay at Arsenal and Wenger has said he wants to keep Wilshere, but there’s a 20% salary cut standing in the way of the two parties agreeing terms.