Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is pushing hard to secure Theo Walcott to a new contract.

The player's current deal expires next summer, with his representatives and the club still some distance apart over wages and Walcott also expressing concerns over opportunities in his preferred central role.

"My desire is to keep Theo. We do what's needed to keep him and hopefully [as] I told you many times, we can sort this situation out very soon - very soon is before the end of December, one way or another, that is for sure," said Wenger.

The Gunners boss was at Great Ormond Street Hospital on Thursday afternoon along with Jack Wilshere and Carl Jenkinson to help open the Arsenal Lung Function Unit.

On Walcott, he added: "I don't want to go into any details [over wage negotiations], but you can believe me [that] we do the maximum we can to keep our best players."