Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insists he will not consider PSG bids for Alexis Sanchez as he claims it 'makes no difference' that they are a foreign club

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Arsene Wenger has insisted that his promise not to sell Alexis Sanchez held good no matter what Paris Saint-Germain plan to bid for the Chilean striker.

Wenger had already insisted that the Chilean would not be sold, despite the fact that he only has one year left on his contract. 

PSG believed Arsenal’s stance might weaken if a foreign club, rather than a direct rival such as Manchester City, were the club bidding.

Arsene Wenger reiterated his stance that he will not sell Alexis Sanchez this summer

But Wenger dismissed the notion on Saturday evening, after a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea at the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing, that a bid from PSG would make any difference.

‘It’s only a media imagination,’ insisted Wenger of reports he could leave. 

Asked whether his stance might change given that it wasn’t Manchester City but a foreign club, Wenger said: ‘No, it doesn’t make any difference.’

Arsenal flew back to London on Saturday though Sanchez, who played in the Confederations Cup for Chile, is not yet due back at training for another week. But Wenger’s insistence that he will stay has now become a test of Arsenal’s will.

The Arsenal manager addressed speculation that PSG are ready to bid for the Chilean star

Sanchez is in the last year of his contract and wants to play for a Champions League club

Despite the fact that Arsenal caved in to sell Robin van Persie to Manchester United in identical circumstances in 2012, Arsenal have consistently made it clear they would not now do the same with Sanchez and Manchester City. 

It would certainly be at odds with chief executive Ivan Gazidis’ claim that the summer would be a catalyst for change.

But it remains to be seen if Arsenal remain firm when Sanchez returns for training on 30 July and speaks to Wenger in person, after his recent comments that he wishes to play for a club in the Champions League.

Wenger’s reasoning has always been that with 30 goals and 19 assist last season, Sanchez is irreplaceable and that if Arsenal’s long-promised challenge for a title is to materialise, there is no player who could offer them those kind of statistics.

However, it is a gamble after Sanchez was dropped last season, with his performances in key games showing an apparent lack of desire, though he recovered his focus by the end of the season.

Sanchez will not return to Arsenal until next week after playing in the Confederations Cup