Dennis Bergkamp is stalling on signing on a new one-year contract with Arsenal which could spell the end of his Highbury career.

Dutch veteran Bergkamp, 34, is unhappy with the terms of Arsenal's reduced pay-as-you-play offer and is now refusing to return phone calls.

It throws his Arsenal future into doubt when manager Arsene Wenger believed it would be a formality that Bergkamp would sign a new £20,000-a-week contract.

That represents a 50 per cent cut from his last contract and Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein is still hoping to thrash out a deal with Bergkamp and his agent Rob Jansen.

Wenger is determined to cut the Highbury wage bill which is why he is prepared to offload some of his squad in player-plus-cash deals this summer in part exchange for Leeds' Harry Kewell.