The speculation in regards to the future of the Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez is turning out to be the transfer saga of the summer. Despite reports linking the player with a move to Bayern Munich and Juventus, it appears he wants to stay in England and fight for the Premier League, but with the Gunners’ rivals, Manchester City.
According to the latest rumours, the latest twist in the saga is that the Chilean has been given a brutal ultimatum by the club in which he has to choose between signing new terms at the Emirates and finding a new club abroad. The report further claims that the Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has more or less given up on the prospect of his main man signing a new deal and would therefore be willing to listen to offers from abroad.
Despite Wenger claiming earlier on that Alexis will not be let go no matter what, it looks as though the financial loss of losing the player on a potential free transfer next summer would be too much for the North London club to take. But even with that in mind, it is understood that Arsene Wenger will not sell to a domestic rival, despite the fact that City and Chelsea will be willing to pay almost twice as much as Bayern Munich and Juventus.
Well, if this story were to be true, then I must say I completely agree with Wenger. At no cost should Arsenal strengthen a rival, especially considering the fact that the Sky Blues have been taking our players for quite some time now. With Wenger claiming that Arsenal are no longer in a position where they have to sell, standing up to Manchester City and saying ‘no’ would be a great statement of intent.
In my opinion, I would rather have Alexis walk on a free next summer than to have him join City in the coming days. If the Arsenal board are indeed serious about the ambition they claim to have, perhaps a better approach would be to sign some world-class players, prove to Alexis during the season that the Gunners’ can compete and convince him to sign a new deal around January, failing which, the Chilean can leave on a free transfer.