Manchester City have taken the lead over Chelsea in the race to sign Arsenal superstar Alexis Sanchez, according to reports
According to Chilean publication Cooperativa, City are firmly in the lead in the race to sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal this summer, despite reports in England claiming that Chelsea were the clear favourites to sign the Chilean superstar.
They state that Sanchez has already made up his mind to leave Arsenal and is “very close” to Pep Guardiola’s team. They also state that Guardiola himself has spoken to the player he once coached at Barcelona and that Sanchez is keen on joining up with the Spaniard.
The report claims that City are willing to offer Arsenal a whopping £50 million for Sanchez this summer, despite the fact that the Arsenal superstar will only have one year left on his contract at the end of the season.
They also claim that the fact that Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is currently at Manchester City is another factor that will aid the Sky Blues in their pursuit of Sanchez, although it remains to be seen whether Bravo will remain at the club at the end of the season after failing to impress in England.
Reports emerged late last month that Chelsea had made Sanchez their top target this summer, with the Blues looking to add real quality to their side as they look to compete on all fronts next season.
It was even reported that Chelsea would be willing to wait it out and sign Sanchez on a free at the end of next season. However, if Cooperativa are to be believed the Blues’ hand may be forced by City’s pursuit of Sanchez.
The Chilean international had been locked in contract talks with Arsenal for several months but the two parties failed to reach an agreement and Arsene Wenger confirmed last month that contract talks had been put on hold until the summer.
Sanchez’s body language combined with the fact that he has refused to sign a new contract has led many to believe that the brilliant forward has decided to quit Arsenal this summer and all signs point to an exit.
One thing is for sure, should Sanchez decide to leave at the end of the season, there will be plenty of suitors waiting in the wings. However, he will not come cheap as Arsenal no longer need to sell their star players like they used to.