Arsene Wenger reveals to close friends that he is preparing for his final season as Arsenal manager

The Frenchman has three years remaining on the new contract that he signed last summer but has privately conceded that his tenure at the club is coming to an end.

The longest-serving manager in Arsenal’s history has already begun considering other options in football because he fears his powerbase will eventually be diminished by new owner Stan Kroenke and has been shocked by the growing criticism he has received from supporters over the last 12 months.

Wenger met a Manchester City delegation led by chief executive Garry Cook and football administrator Brian Marwood at a hotel in Kensington, west London, in May although there is no confirmation that the Frenchman either sought to or was asked to replace Roberto Mancini at Etihad Stadium.

Nevertheless, the Arsenal manager held informal talks with the new owners of Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain this summer to discuss the prospect of him taking over as manager at the French club.

PSG - who have spent heavily on new players, including €43 million on Javier Pastore, over the last two months - targeted Wenger as their No.1 choice to use the club’s financial muscle to restore their place at the summit of French football and establish them among the Champions League elite. The club has not won Ligue 1 since 1994.

Wenger, who owns an apartment close to PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium, rejected the opportunity although he admitted in an interview with a Strasbourg TV station in June that he has long-standing friendships with senior officials at the club. It is believed that the Arsenal manager has had a loose arrangement for many years to advise PSG on transfers and recruitment strategy.

One source said that Wenger has established a “great relationship” with the French club’s Qatari investors, who could make another move for him if PSG underachieve this season under new sporting director Leonardo and coach Antoine Kombouare.

His relationship with Arsenal supporters has become increasingly tense over the last year, particularly after the club extended their trophy drought to six years following a disastrous finish to last season.

Wenger promised that he would be “very active” in the transfer market in the summer as he pledged to rebuild a team that has faded badly in recent campaigns and, while he has spent relatively large sums on two attacking midfielders, Gervinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the new Premier League season about to kick off, he has yet to address the club’s chronic defensive frailties.