Arsenal legend Alan Smith believes his old club should cash in on Alexis Sanchez while they can instead of risking him walking away on a free transfer next summer.
The Chile international has been linked with the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in recent months as Arsenal have been unable to persuade him to sign a new contract.
Sanchez’s current deal expires at the end of next season, but Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted all summer that the 28-year-old will not be sold.
Some reports have stated Arsenal could pocket around £50million for Sanchez if they were to sell him now, though it is claimed they want to hold out for closer to £80m.
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Smith believes the north Londoners are playing a risky game here, and has advised them to cash in on their star player now.
‘What the owners would think about keeping a player you could get £60m for, and then letting him go for nothing in 12 months time, I don’t know,’ Smith told talkSPORT.
‘Its a no-brainer, you’ve go to let him go, get the money and move on.’
Smith added that it’s important to get rid of unhappy players as they can unsettle the rest of the dressing room.
Arsenal's pre-season fixtures
Arsenal 2-0 Sydney FC
Arsenal 3-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
Arsenal 1-1 Bayern Munich
Arsenal 0-3 Chelsea
Arsenal 5-2 Benfica
Arsenal 1-2 Sevilla
Aug 6 – Chelsea (Wembley – Community Shield)
‘Arsene Wenger says he is determined not to sell him, but he seems determined to leave,’ the former Gunners striker said.
‘If you’ve got an unhappy player, a bit like (Philippe) Coutinho at Liverpool, that’s not a great situation to have in the dressing room.’
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