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Jonny Evans weighs up options as Man City and Arsenal contact West Brom over deal
Manchester City have held further talks with West Bromwich Albion over Jonny Evans as the runaway Premier League leaders compete with Arsenal for the Northern Ireland defender.
City and Arsenal made contact with West Brom about Evans at the weekend but officials from the Manchester club have been in further dialogue with their Midlands counterparts in the past 24 hours, even if there has yet to be a formal offer for the player.
Evans, 30, would prefer to move to City than Arsenal and play under Pep Guardiola. A transfer to the Etihad Stadium would also allow the former Manchester United defender to stay in the North West although he remains open to a move to Arsenal.
West Brom are prepared to cash in on Evans after accepting that he will not sign an extension to his existing contract, which has 18 months left to run, but they are waiting to see if City and Arsenal follow up their interest with actual bids.
City had an offer of around £21 million for Evans rejected last summer – Arsenal also bid – and a similar fee may be enough to prise the player away from the Hawthorns this month. Alan Pardew is keen to reinvest any money in other areas of the team as West Brom attempt to bolster their squad in the midst of a relegation battle.
City had planned to wait until Sanchez’s Arsenal contract expired at the end of the season before moving for the Chile striker but they now hope to secure a deal this month in the wake of a knee injury to Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus.
Arsenal are thought to be prepared to sell Sanchez but first want a replacement – Nabil Fekir, of Monaco, and Bordeaux winger, Malcom, are on their radar - and will hold out for as much as £35 million for the Chilean.
“A very good player,” De Bruyne said of Sanchez. “When he comes he will add something to the team. Obviously we will see what happens in this transfer period.
“We [as players] don’t have to take care about that anyway. If a good player comes to us that is better, if he doesn’t come we do it with the team we have.”