Arsenal have been doing their best to tie down Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez to a new contract, and the former Barcelona man has now had his say on the matter.
The contract negotiations between Arsenal and two of their top stars in Mesut Ozil and Sanchez have been grabbing headlines for the past couple of months. While Ozil’s saga seems to have taken an unexpected twist, there was no statement given by either of the players.
However, Sanchez was asked point blank about the issue ahead of Arsenal’s big game against Manchester City. The Chilean attacker stated that he is enjoying life with the Gunners, and the onus is on the club, not him.
“I’m focused more on winning football matches – I’m staying concentrated on that,” said Sanchez in an interview with SkySports.
“It really doesn’t depend on me – if they want to show confidence in me. I’m very happy at the club. I love all the staff. I’m very grateful for everybody here.
“It depends on Arsenal.
“I enjoy the relationship with the fans. I want to achieve more for them. I want to win the Premier League and the Champions League.”
Sanchez’ current contract runs till the summer of 2018, but the club want to tie the 27-year-old down to a long term deal. The point of contention between both parties, however, is believed to be the wages on offer.
Arsenal are believed to be willing to increase his pay package to £180,000 a week, but the Chilean wants pay parity with the likes of Paul Pogba at Manchester United. The Arsenal hierarchy are reportedly not willing to offer that much as it would go against the wage structure that they have in place.
This has left the negotiations in a deadlock, but this hasn’t had much of an effect on Sanchez’ form. The Chilean winger has been turned into a striker by Arsene Wenger this season, and has been phenomenal for the Gunners.
Sanchez has notched up 12 goals and 5 assists in the Premier League so far this season, sparking comparisons with club legend Thierry Henry. Arsenal will be desperately hoping that they can sign the Chilean to a new contract soon.
