Arsenal will not be held to ransom by Alexis Sanchez, Arsene Wenger makes clear

Arsene Wenger has offered a clear indication that Arsenal will not be held to ransom by Alexis Sanchez over a new contract.

The Chilean will see his deal expire in 2018 and is currently in the midst of talks over signing new terms.

The striker has a number of options, with Man City, Chelsea and Paris St Germain among those keen to sign him should he opt to leave Arsenal. There is also interest from China, with some reports suggesting he has offers in the region of £400,000-a-week.

It puts Sanchez in a strong position at the negotiating table, with reports recently suggesting that Arsenal could be prepared to smash their wage structure to tempt him to stay at the Emirates. Numbers in the region of £300,000-a-week have been mentioned – a huge increase on the £140,000 currently being paid to top earner Mesut Ozil.

Those reports appear to be wide of the mark however, judging by Wenger’s comments that the club comes before any player.

Asked if the dressing room could be destabalised if one player was on much more money, Wenger replied: ‘Always’.

He continued: ‘But we must also accept that modern life has changed a little bit. We always had a wage schedule that was respected but players earn so much money now that the cases have become much more individual than global.

‘You have many different opinions. Some people tell me: “Just give him what he wants.” But then you cannot respect any more any wage structure and you put the club in trouble as well. You have to make the decision in an objective way. The club always has to be the priority. I understand top players are a big priority but, even for important players, you can only pay as much as you can afford.’

Asked about the levels of money being offered by clubs in the Chinese Super League, Wenger admitted it had an impact on negotiations: ‘It certainly contributes to the imagination of the players.’

However, despite the tempting offers from China, Wenger doesn’t think Sanchez would ever make that switch.

‘Every club and every player has to make decisions,’ Wenger said. ‘Where are your priorities? Where do you want to play? The first priority for top players is to play with the best players and in the best league. After that, it is not about choosing to go to China because you earn big money. You make big money in England as well. You have the best combination of playing at the top and big money is in England, at the moment. So, for me, China is not a debate.’

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