Alexis Sanchez ‘staying at Arsenal’ as Man City and Bayern Munich target’s exit bid fails
- Report in Chile claims forward is going nowhere this summer - after Bayern chief baulked at wage demands
ALEXIS SANCHEZ will be staying in Arsenal next season, according to reports.
The Gunners forward helped Chile reach the Confederations Cup final as Bayern Munich and Manchester City circled.
But a Chilean journalist is claiming Sanchez's exit bid has failed despite him refusing to extend his deal, which runs out in 12 months.
El Filtrador reporter Juan Luis tweeted: "Alexis Sanchez does not move from Arsenal."
His claim comes after Bayern president Uli Hoeness ruled out signing Sanchez due to his excessive wage demands.
He said: "We are not going to pay €100million [£87m] to get [Marco] Verratti or €25million [£22m] a year to get Sanchez.
"If we want to win the Champions League we’ll have to invest but we can’t spend crazy money."
Unless Hoeness is dropping a not-so subtle hint to force Sanchez to lower his expectations, that leaves City as the only realistic destination.
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Alexis Sanchez factfile
- Born in Tocopilla, Chile on December 19, 1988
- Began his career in Chilean club Cobreloa, breaking into the first-team after one year in 2005
- Signed for Italian club Udinese in 2006 and spent one season on loan at Colo-Colo in his home country, then another at Argentine club River Plate
- Signed for Barcleona in 2011 in a £23million deal
- Won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, Supercopa, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup during three seasons at the Nou Camp
- Signed for Arsenal in 2014 for £35million
- Won the FA Cup in 2015 and 2017, as well as the Community Shield in 2014 and 2015
- Claimed the Copa America Cup in 2015 and 2016
- Want Sanchez in your fantasy team? Sign up here
But even though the Citizens are willing to pay over the odds to seal a deal this summer, Gunners chiefs are keen to avoid selling to a domestic rival.
Last month Sanchez insisted his future has been decided but wanted to wait until he returned from Chile duty to reveal all.
He will now take a break after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Germany meant his country's campaign ended in heartbreak.
When asked about his future, he said: "It's clear but I can't tell you."
How did Sanchez perform in fantasy football last season?
- Second highest rated player (7.76) in the Premier League last season, behind only Eden Hazard
- Registered 30 goals and 13 assists in all competitions
- Highest points scorer on Dream Team with 340 points
- Want him in your fantasy football team this season? Sign up now