What’s the story?
Alexis Sanchez has dropped a massive hint of a move to rivals, Chelsea. The former Barcelona star is also said to be Antonio Conte's #1 target for the summer.
"I am happy in London, and I hope to finish my contract at Arsenal. I want to stay in a winning team and keep playing in the same city. I want to play in a team that has aspirations. I'm 28 years old; I still have a lot ahead of me. I am a player who takes great care of himself." said the Chilean after their win over Venezuela.
In case you didn’t know...
Sanchez's contract at Arsenal runs down at the end of the 2017/18 season, and he is yet to agree a new deal with the Gunners. The Chilean is said to be demanding £250,000+ as weekly wages, but the club is not ready to offer him so much.
The Gunners have to sell him off in the summer if they want to make any profit from Sanchez's departure from the club as he will be free to hold talks with other clubs from January and move there for free in the summer of 2018.
The heart of the matter
The Arsenal contract rebel has insisted that he is happy in London and wants to remain in the Premier League. However, he has fueled speculations of a possible move to Chelsea instead of ending rumours of him leaving the Emirates in the summer.
Antonio Conte is said to be keen on signing Sanchez to make the Chelsea squad even stronger. The manager wanted to sign him when he was managing Juventus, but the forward decided to move to Barcelona instead.
Sanchez is reportedly on the radar of Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich as well. There are clubs from China as well who have tried to lure him.
Also Read: What went wrong for Arsene Wenger at Arsenal?
What’s next?
Sanchez is expected to force a move away from Arsenal, and the likely destination now looks to be Chelsea. Arsenal will demand around £50 million for him despite him having just a year left in the contract.
Author’s Take
Conte knows the kind of players he needs for his squad, and by the looks of it, Sanchez would fit in straight away. He will replace Pedro/Willian in the starting XI and play behind the striker along with Hazard.
