Alexis Sanchez has made Arsenal aware of his desire to join Manchester City this summer and if needed will hand in an official transfer request.
Paris Saint Germain remain keen on the Chilean, despite their move for Barcelona ace Neymar – the belief in France is that they want them both.
Football INDEX Watch – Alexis Sanchez £4.62 – In the top-five, at under £5, still has plenty of profit left in him.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has insisted he does not want to sell the player, despite the fact he has less than 12-months on his contract and could leave for free next summer.
The hierarchy at the Emirates clearly do not want to lose the prospect of 40 to £50million hitting their bank. Arsenal had been hoping, and they still do, that if he does leave it will be to the French capital and whilst that remains a possibility – it is not his preference.
Sources believe that Sanchez has made it clear that he wants to move to City, who have been patient in their pursuit of him.
It is believed that Sanchez is ready to hand in a transfer request, which would clearly be to show Wenger that his ambition it to leave as the Frenchman insists he has not declared that he wants to leave.
With a month of the transfer window left, sources close to City remain confident that a deal will be done.
Bookmakers see this as a very tight market with Arsenal just favourites to keep him next season at 10/11 with Man City 6/4 to grab him. PSG are 10/3.
We spoke to PaddyPower about the Sanchez market and spokesman Lee Price told us: “It’s looking increasingly like Sanchez is heading for Al-exit, and a reunion with Pep Guardiola is on the cards.
“After all, he did say he wanted to stay in the big City.”