Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has dismissed speculation that Alexis Sanchez is on his way to Paris Saint-Germain in a whopping £70m deal.
With just 12 months remaining on his current contract, talk of an exit for the 28-year-old will not go away as his future remains shrouded in doubt.
As reported by the Evening Standard, the latest was that he was spotted in Paris and was at an alleged meeting with PSG sporting director Antero Henrique in a hotel to discuss a possible move to join the Ligue 1 giants.
Numbers were included in said report, including a £70m transfer fee, even though Sanchez is in the last year of his contract, while PSG were said to be willing to offer a ridiculous wage packet of £400,000-a-week to the Chilean international.
Wenger didn’t mince his words in response, noting: “It is only media imagination.”
Further, when asked if he would be more willing to agree to an exit if it was a foreign club rather than the likes of Manchester City, he replied: “No, I don’t think it makes any difference.”
Wenger will not want to lose his talismanic forward as Arsenal relied heavily on him last season and will do so again this year such is his influence on the team.
Selling their best player would be a very bad look for the Gunners, but ultimately they will now continue to run the risk of losing him for nothing next summer instead.
Time will tell whether or not they can keep hold of him this summer, and if potential success next season changes his mind and convinces him to stay. For now, Wenger will probably have to deny and dismiss many more reports until Sanchez is either sold or the transfer window shuts next month.