Alexis Sanchez set to return to Arsenal training this weekend... but he won't get a warm welcome from Mesut Ozil as fellow rebel waits in ice chamber

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Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Alexis Sanchez will return to Arsenal training on Sunday, amid lingering doubts about his future at the Emirates.

The Chilean could leave Arsenal this summer, with Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus among his suitors, but he will return to London Colney this week.

Waiting for him there will be team-mate and fellow contract rebel Mesut Ozil, who posted a picture of himself in an ice chamber on Thursday afternoon.

Alexis Sanchez is set to return to first-team training with Arsenal in the coming days

Mesut Ozil joked that he is an ice chamber because he was asked to be 'ice cold in front of goal'

Sanchez has been heavily linked with a move away from the Emirates in the summer window

Alongside the snap, the German - who himself is yet to sign a new deal - joked that he had been asked by the club to be 'ice cold in front of goal'. 

Meanwhile, Sanchez's contract runs out at the end of next season, but Sportsmail understands talks over a new deal have stalled with the Chilean keen to quit the Gunners this summer.

Despite this, Wenger has revealed that both Sanchez and Shkodran Mustafi will return this weekend following their extended breaks.

The pair represented their countries at the Confederations Cup this summer and were given extra time off by Arsenal to recuperate.

But after their four-week holiday, they are due to return and Wenger said: 'Alexis and Mustafi, their first training session will be on Sunday, the day we play against Sevilla [in the Emirates Cup]. They are practising on the day.'

That will give them 12 days of preparation ahead of the new Premier League season - Arsenal open the campaign against Leicester on Friday 11.

Alexis Sanchez posed with his Chilean girlfriend Mayte Rodriguez on holiday earlier this month

Arsene Wenger is desperate to persuade the Chilean to sign a new contract at Arsenal

'First of all you make a really good check up of where they are, how much they have worked during their break,' Wenger continued. 

'After, once you know where you stand, they need an adjusted programme and to see how quickly you can fit them in again. Of course it depends as well on what is the need in the squad, what is their quality. 

'All of these things together make your decision. Do you put them on the bench when they are not ready [to start]? It is easier to put a striker on the bench than a defender, sometimes. Because in a short period they can make an impact. We'll see.' 

Shkodran Mustafi is also returning this weekend, after his extended summer holiday

Sanchez was on international duty with Chile at the Confederations Cup in June

Despite the Frenchman's confident words, it is still unclear whether Sanchez will be around come the opening game of the season.   

The club are not giving up hope that they can persuade Sanchez to sign a new contract, but it appears to be getting increasingly unlikely.

Sportsmail understands there has been a breakdown in communication between the club and Sanchez's advisers, with the prospect of the South American signing fresh terms looking bleaker than ever.

Pep Guardiola (right) is keen to sign the Arsenal forward for Manchester City

Sanchez's deal expires at the end of next season, when he can leave Arsenal for nothing.

Manchester City and PSG want to sign Sanchez this summer, but Arsenal are adamant their star player will not be sold.

Arsenal have offered Sanchez a new contract worth £275,000 per week, which would increase by up to 20 per cent, once they get back into the Champions League.