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'a huge price'

Arsene Wenger claims Arsenal will have to spend £70m to replace Alexis Sanchez… despite failed £92m bid for Thomas Lemar

Wenger was prepared to let Sanchez leave on deadline day but pulled plug on Man City deal when Lemar rejected move

ARSENE WENGER admits he is sacrificing £70million by letting Alexis Sanchez leave for nothing.

Sanchez will walk away from Arsenal for free next summer unless Wenger can flog him in January - with Manchester City set to return with a bid of just £20m.

 Arsene Wenger admits could be taking a £70m hit on Alexis Sanchez
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Arsene Wenger admits could be taking a £70m hit on Alexis SanchezCredit: Rex Features
 Sanchez saw a move to Man City fall through on deadline day
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Sanchez saw a move to Man City fall through on deadline dayCredit: PA:Press Association

A £60m deal to the Etihad fell through on deadline day when Wenger tried to land Thomas Lemar but saw the Monaco winger snub a £92m move.

Bizarrely Wenger reckons it will cost him around £22m less the replace Sanchez than he bid for Lemar - who the Gunners boss says he will go back in for in January.

Wenger told beIN Sports: "You take a Sanchez into the final year of his contract, you sacrifice £60-£70m income and at the end of the season.

"You will have to buy somebody for that amount of money.

"It has a huge price so at some stage you have to make a decision, you have to sacrifice one or two.

"We have today 107 players in England who go into the final year of their contract.

 Monaco accepted a £92m bid for Thomas Lemar but the winger rejected the move
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Monaco accepted a £92m bid for Thomas Lemar but the winger rejected the moveCredit: Reuters
 Wenger admits he is paying a 'huge price' over Sanchez
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Wenger admits he is paying a 'huge price' over SanchezCredit: PA:Press Association

"It's a complete rotation and change in the way people see their career for two reasons.

"One, all the players expect higher wages because they anticipate inflation.

"All the clubs, because the transfer market has gone up so much, do not want to pay so high prices for all the transfers for players who are good, but will not change their life."

Sanchez's hopes of playing at the World Cup took a blow as Chile suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bolivia in La Paz yesterday.

The forward vented his frustration yet again on social media, saying he was sick of criticism.

 Sanchez and Chile lost 1-0 in a vital World Cup qualifier against Bolivia
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Sanchez and Chile lost 1-0 in a vital World Cup qualifier against BoliviaCredit: AP:Associated Press
 Sanchez was left feeling low after yet another miserable defeat in red
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Sanchez was left feeling low after yet another miserable defeat in redCredit: Reuters

Sanchez moaned: "You get tired for being criticised with or without reason, you get tired of wanting to be defeated, you get tired of saying to yourself 'once more I'll get up' after crying after a defeat.

"And you get tired of telling the world and people who are with you, that everything is going well.

"And the worst, is that no one ever realises how that makes you feel.

"I have the 7 of Chile on my back and it is a huge responsibility, that's why it pains me that journalists and bad people criticise without knowing."

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