Arsene Wenger has once more insisted that Arsenal will not sell Alexis Sanchez this summer.
The Chilean international last week offered his most clear indication yet that he wanted to leave Arsenal in pursuit of Champions League football, telling reporters in his homeland that he had made his decision and was awaiting the club’s response.
With one year left on his contract holding on to Sanchez could cost Arsenal around £50million in lost transfer revenue if the Gunners keep him at the club and he refuses to sign an extension.
Arsenal have offered him a £300,000-a-week salary that would place him among the Premier League’s top earners but are yet to receive a response. However Wenger has consistently said that Sanchez will stay this summer regardless of whether he signs a new contract.
“The decision has been made and we will stick to that. The decision is not to sell,” Wenger said after Arsenal arrived in China for a friendly against Bayern Munich tomorrow.
Sanchez’s comments to Chilean media had come only hours after Wenger himself had claimed that he had received “positive” text messages from his star player that indicated he would not force his way out this summer.
In Pictures | Alexis Sanchez at Arsenal
With Sanchez desperate to play in and win the Champions League his manager challenged him to fire Arsenal back to Europe’s top table after they missed out for the first time in two decades last season.
Wenger added: “The main focus for us is to concentrate on the Premier League and the Premier League for me today is more important than the Champions League.
“We rested sometimes players in the group stages of the Champions League for the Premier League so that’s become the biggest importance for us.
“We played 20 years in the Champions League, that’s 17 years before Sanchez arrived and three years with him so he can get us back in there.”