With the FA Cup final just around the corner, Arsenal’s transfer saga surrounding Alexis Sanchez has taken a surprise turn, or so it seems. According to a report from the Daily Mirror, Bayern Munich, who are supposedly leading the race to sign Sanchez, do not want to meet the player’s £300,000-a-week wage demands and talks are understood to be at a standstill between the two parties.
Reports in Germany claimed that the Chilean’s agent Fernando Felicevich touched down in Bavaria to negotiate personal terms after Arsenal reportedly accepted a bid in the region of £50 million for Sanchez, despite the player having only a year left to run on his contract at the Emirates. But while earlier reports claimed that personal terms had been agreed, the latest news is that no agreement is in place, with reliable German outlet Bild also claiming that Bayern will not meet Sanchez’s wage demands.
For me, the news is somewhat reliable considering that the German giants are not known for offering players enormous wages. The highest-paid players are Ribery, Robben, Vidal and Lewandowski, who all earn around £150,000-a-week and although the Bavarians are prepared to make the Gunners’ talisman their highest-paid player, it appears as though £300,000-a-week would be too much.
In my opinion, the biggest concern here is whether the situation will play into the hands of Manchester City. It is no secret that there is interest, with Pep Guardiola even admitting not so long ago that he would be interested in signing Sanchez for the Sky Blues. Another worrying aspect is that Guardiola and Sanchez have history, considering that it was Guardiola that bought the diminutive forward for Barcelona, with the player being a regular inclusion in the Blagrana’s starting-eleven during Pep’s tenure.
If no club outside of England are willing to meet the wage demands of Alexis and the club are not prepared to lose him on a free transfer next summer, there is no denying that there is a distinct possibility that Alexis Sanchez may be the latest of a long list of Arsenal stars who have traded the red half of North London for the blue half of Manchester.
Anurag