Alexis Sanchez to face Arsenal fans as he tries to leave the club

ALEXIS SANCHEZ will face Arsenal fans for the first time tomorrow as he tries to force his way out of the club - but the Gunners now expect the Chilean to be fit for the start of the season.

Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez has returned to training GETTY

Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez has returned to training

Sanchez returned to light training yesterday at Arsenal’s London Colney HQ, after being given an extra two days off by manager Arsene Wenger to recover from flu.

The Chilean did not take part in full training with the rest of the squad, and is not expected to be ready for Sunday’s Community Shield clash with Chelsea at Wembley. 

But Wenger is confident that his want-away striker will be fit for the club’s opening game of the new Premier League season at Leicester on Friday week.

But first, the Gunners striker, who has failed to sign a new £300,000-a-week deal at the Emirates and has been linked with a move to Manchester City, will face Arsenal fans tomorrow at the club’s Members Day open training session.

Sanchez, whose current contract runs out at the end of this season, flew back into London yesterday via a stop off in Paris, and was pictured getting off the plane with his two dogs Atom and Humber.

Sanchez, who has also been linked with Paris St-Germain, immediately went to the training ground, and was then put through his paces by Gunners strength and conditioning coach Barry Solan.

Wenger last weekend insisted that Sanchez, who has been in touch with the player throughout, would be going nowhere.

City are still confident of landing Sanchez, with the lure of Champions League football as a key bargaining point - but Arsenal are insistent that they want to keep the striker, even if he runs down his current deal. 

The 28 year old netted 30 goals last season, and Arsenal do not want to sell to a rival.

Watford are meanwhile closing in on a £15m deal for Gunners full-back Kieran Gibbs.

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