Has Guardiola Got His Man: Arsenal Star Alexis Sanchez On His Way To Manchester In $100 Million Deal?
Arsenal and Chile star Alexis Sanchez has been a revelation since he joined the London club in 2014. Since making that move, Sanchez has bagged 53 goals in 104 appearances for the Gunners and has become one of the English Premier League’s top stars. Doubtless, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will be desperate to hold on to Sanchez and will be reluctant to sell him to rivals Manchester City. Sanchez made his first appearance of the season for Arsenal last weekend when he was one of the few Arsenal players to show any appetite for the game during Arsenal’s humiliating defeat against Liverpool.
Sanchez has made it clear that he wants to leave Arsenal, and he has been pushing for a move all summer. Manchester City is likely to be Sanchez’s destination if he leaves Arsenal today, the Premier League’s deadline day for transfers. City boss Pep Guardiola reportedly sees Sanchez as a key element for the team he is building in Manchester.
The Manchester Evening News reports that Arsenal and Manchester City are locked in talks about Sanchez’s future after City increased their bid to £70 million [$100 million]. Sanchez is in the last year of his Arsenal contract and will be able to move to a club of his choosing for free next summer. With the prospect of losing Sanchez for nothing in less than a year, Arsenal may be keen to cash in while they can.
The prospect of Sanchez moving to Manchester today seems to have increased, with the Guardian reporting that Arsenal has made a move to sign Julian Draxler from Paris Saint-Germain. There have been signs that Arsenal is resigned to losing Sanchez to Manchester City. It has been reported that the Gunners might be willing to accept a deal that involves England forward Raheem Stirling moving to London.
Pep Guardiola would prefer a straight cash deal as Stirling is still in his plans. According to the Daily Mirror, fans who have been keeping a close eye on Sanchez’s social media feeds believe that he has hinted that the move to City is happening today. Sanchez apparently “liked” a meme of himself on Instagram.
The image shows Sanchez’s face photoshopped onto an image of Neymar. Barcelona defender Gerard Pique had posted the image with the caption “Se Queda,” which translates as “stays,” during the transfer speculation over Neymar’s big money move to Paris Saint-Germain. Pique was left red faced when Neymar left Barcelona. The suggestion is that Sanchez is now on the move, it would seem that his transfer to Manchester City is “Instagram official.”
We will know later today whether or not Sanchez secures a move away from Arsenal, with Manchester City favorites to win the race to sign him.
[Featured Image by Michael Regan/Getty Images]
