Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez is reportedly ready to take a pay cut in order to seal his preferred move to Manchester City in this summer’s transfer window.
The Chile international has been stalling over a new deal at the Emirates Stadium, despite being offered what is thought to be a significant pay rise by the Gunners.
Sanchez seems to be more concerned by Arsenal’s current plight on the pitch as they missed out on a Champions League place last season after also crashing out of the competition in embarrassing style with a 10-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich in the last 16.
A move to City would give Sanchez a reunion with his former manager Pep Guardiola, and the Independent claim he’s so desperate for the move he could accept wages of lower than the £300,000 per week on offer from Arsenal.
Sanchez has also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich this summer, but seems keen to remain in the Premier League instead of moving abroad, which has been Arsenal’s preferred option if they were to sell.
Alexis Sanchez transfer saga in quotes
Alexis Sanchez: ‘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.’
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.’
However, Arsene Wenger recently stated that foreign teams have no advantage over English ones as he simply does not plan to buckle on the 28-year-old despite him having only a year left on his current deal.
Various reports have suggested Arsenal feel Sanchez could still be persuaded to sign a new contract if they start the new season strongly, having taken some hope from the way Wayne Rooney and Luis Suarez made similar u-turns with Manchester United and Liverpool, respectively, in the recent past.
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