Arsene Wenger has insisted once again that Arsenal will not be selling Alexis Sanchez this summer despite transfer links with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
The Chile international has been strongly linked with an exit for much of the last few months due to heading into the final year of his contract with no sign of a renewal.
Sanchez was a star performer at the Emirates Stadium last season, scoring 30 goals and contributing 13 assists as the Gunners won the FA Cup but suffered a disappointing league campaign.
Wenger’s side only managed to finish fifth in the table, meaning the Frenchman’s lowest finish during his 20-year reign as manager, and no Champions League football for next season.
Speaking at the weekend, Sanchez all but confirmed he was looking to leave by saying: ‘I’ve made my decision, now I wait for Arsenal’s reply. The idea is to play and win the Champions League. I’ve dreamt about it since I was a kid.’
Wenger, however, has remained firm for much of the summer that he had no plans to let the 28-year-old go, and has stressed that once again in his latest update on the transfer saga.
‘The decision has been made and we will stick to that. The decision is not to sell,’ Wenger said.
‘We played 20 years in the Champions League. That’s 17 years before Sanchez arrived and three years with him, so he can get us back in there.’
This came in response to Sanchez’s statement at the weekend, which Wenger feels may have been a mistranslation by the Chilean press.
‘I don’t give too much importance to things that are translated, you know,’ he added. ‘The whole interview that I got didn’t really mean that.
‘The main focus for us is to concentrate on the Premier League and the Premier League for me today is more important than the Champions League.’
Key Arsenal figures on Sanchez
Arsene Wenger: ‘Of course (we’d like him to stay). There is not a lot to resolve at the moment with the player. I have spoken through text and it was very positive. My thoughts are always positive.’
Per Mertesacker: ‘I am very confident (he will stay). It’s his decision. If he feels good, comfortable, he can play with freedom. He has his qualities. You cannot find those everywhere.’
Mesut Ozil: ‘I hope Alexis stays but I don’t know what the status is to be perfectly honest. But I value him a lot as a player and he’s very well-suited to the game Arsenal play. From a personal view I would really appreciate it if he stays. However, it’s the player’s decision after all and there’s not much more I can comment on that. It would hit the team quite hard if he left because he’s a player who always delivers. It would be a setback to winning the title but in the end, it’s the player’s decision.’
Sanchez’s preference is thought to be to move to Arsenal’s rivals Manchester City, while reports have suggested the north Londoners would rather sell him abroad if possible.
This has seen rumours that PSG could be in for him before the end of the summer, though Bayern Munich claim they have ended their pursuit of the player.
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