Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal to Manchester City: What we know so far

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James Benge30 August 2017

Arsenal’s battle to keep hold of Alexis Sanchez looks increasingly difficult.

The Chilean, who has one year left on his contract, has made it abundantly clear he wants the Champions League football Arsenal cannot provide. And despite the Gunners’ offer to smash the Emirates wage structure to keep Sanchez in London there has been little progress in recent weeks.

Sanchez wants even more than the £300,000-a-week on offer from Arsenal, meaning that Bayern Munich and other European sides are out of the running. Can Arsene Wenger stomach losing another star to Manchester City?

Standard Sport examines the latest on Sanchez’s future below…

Is Sanchez’s exit imminent?

It's now or never, in terms of a cash reward. Wenger is determined to ensure Sanchez honours the final year of his contract and has made clear on several occasions that he is willing to risk letting Sanchez leave on a free transfer next summer.

Arsenal's stance is in part down to a desire not to strengthen a direct rival, and the club would ideally hope to convince Sanchez to sign a new deal in the coming months. However, Wenger has said he is "not super optimistic" about the chances of Sanchez agreeing to an extension beyond the summer of 2018.

Recent days though have seen Wenger's resolve tested more so than at any stage this summer, with Manchester City submitting their first bid of £50million on Tuesday night. It was swiftly rejected by Arsenal.

However that is unlikely to put an end to City's pursuit, with a second bid being readied to test the Gunners' resolve. That offer could include one of Pep Guardiola's charges, with Raheem Sterling one name in contention.

Wenger has professed his admiration for Sterling on several occasions and the England international could be Arsenal's best hope of a Sanchez replacement with time of the essence before the transfer window closes.

Who wants to sign him?

Theoretically there are few top sides in Europe who would not want Sanchez. Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich had all been keen suitors. However the 28-year-old’s wage demands, plus Arsenal’s own asking price have put many off.

Though Chelsea have also monitored Sanchez's situation they have not pressed ahead with a move, leaving City as the Chilean's only option. Pep Guardiola saw a £50m bid to be reunited with his former Barcelona player rejected earlier this week.

That might suit Sanchez, who spent his first season at Barcelona under Guardiola's tutelage, but it would be problematic for Arsenal. City in particular constitute an unappetising option for the Emirates, with Wenger having insisted that the days when his best players (Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri) went to Manchester are over.

How much will Sanchez cost?

AFP/Getty Images

Evidently more than £50m. Wenger has been insistent throughout the summer that there is no price that could tempt him to part with last season's top scorer.

However that may change should City's next bid see a significant hike in the money on offer, or the promise of a direct replacement for Sanchez, not least because with deadline day looming Arsenal's preferred targets will prove difficult to extract.

Who could replace Sanchez?

After signing Sead Kolasinac and Alexandre Lacazette early in the summer Arsenal's top priority became Thomas Lemar, and the Monaco winger would appear the most obvious replacement for Sanchez.

Lemar, whose natural position is the inside left channel that Sanchez has made his own over three years at Arsenal, was the subject of a rejected bid worth £30m, with Wenger having admitted he was monitoring the 21-year-old.

However he subsequently admitted last week that his pursuit of Lemar was "dead". Liverpool, though, have not been dissuaded and it could prove to be humiliating for Arsenal if the Reds end the transfer window with Wenger's primary target and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Riyad Mahrez of Leicester has been consistently linked with a move to the Emirates but Arsenal's failure to bid for a player who has made no secret of his desire to join them speaks volumes.

As such it may be that Arsenal's best chance of replacing Sanchez comes from extracting a replacement from City. Sterling and Sergio Aguero appear to be two possible candidates and the arrival of either might sooth fan fury over the loss of their star player.

What does a Sanchez exit mean for the rest of the Arsenal squad?

Sanchez is not the only star in Wenger’s squad whose contract is approaching its expiration. Ozil is also out of contract in the summer of 2018 but he is highly likely to stay and admitted as much during Arsenal’s tour of Australia.

In Pictures | Liverpool vs Arsenal | 27/08/2017

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He urged Sanchez to join him, saying: "I value him a lot as a player and he's very well suited to the game Arsenal play. From a personal view I'd really appreciate if he stays."

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, another who's contract expires next summer, is set to join Liverpool in a deal worth £40m.