Jack Wilshere snubbed advances from Birmingham City

England international Jack Wilshere reportedly turned down a lucrative contract from Birmingham City in order to stay put with Arsenal.

The 25-year-old spent the previous campaign on a temporary spell with Bournemouth after he fell out-of-favour under coach Arsene Wenger.

He returned during the final stages of last season with a hairline fracture in his leg and this saw him miss the club's pre-season tour of Australia and China as well as the Emirates Cup.

Wilshere has since taken part in a couple of Premier League 2 games, and according to The Mirror, he had emerged as a shock target for Harry Redknapp's Birmingham.

The Blues wrapped up the services of Gunners duo Carl Jenkinson and Cohen Bramall on season-long loan deals earlier this summer but they were hoping to land a major coup in Wilshere.

However, the attacker snubbed the £90,000-a-week offer on the table as he was reluctant to move to the second tier at this stage of his career.

Arsene Wenger has previously suggested that Wilshere will have to fight for his position in the first-team, but this could start with an appearance in the League Cup game against Doncaster Rovers this month.