Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez has asked the club to show their confidence in him by agreeing to his wage demands. The 27-year-old forward has demanded a new £250,000-a-week deal which is almost double his existing £130,000-a-week deal.
It was earlier reported that the Sanchez has refused the initial offer of £180,000-a-week, £9.3 million-a-year. His existing contract expires in the summer of 2018 and Arsene Wenger is keen on tying down the player at Arsenal with a new contract.
However, Arsenal’s strict financial policy indicates that the club is unwilling to bulge to Sanchez’s demands. According to the Daily Mail, the Chilean star has maintained that the ball remains in Arsenal’s court and if they want to prove their faith in him, they will do the needful.
Also read: EPL 2016/17: Arsene Wenger tells Alexis Sanchez to lower wage demands
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Sanchez said, “It really doesn’t depend on me. If they want to show confidence in me, I’m very happy.”
He added how he enjoyed his relationship with the Gunners fan base and how he aspired to win trophies for the club.
“It depends on Arsenal. I enjoy the relationship with the fans. I want to achieve more for them. I want to win the Premier League and the Champions League. I’m relaxed. I’m trying not to let it bother me. I’ve told my agent I don’t want to speak about this,” he said.
Wenger, meanwhile, refused to comment on the proceedings during his pre-match press conference on Friday. He also ignored all questions about the other players whose deals run out in 2018 such as, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mesut Ozil, and Olivier Giroud.
Also read: Arsenal rumour: Alexis Sanchez offered £400,000-a-week deal to leave Arsenal
The entire Sanchez saga is helped least by the financial superiority of the Chinese Super League clubs which do not have any regulations regarding finances. The salary expectations in European football are being distorted and even Sanchez has a huge bargaining chip in the shape of a massive £400,000-a-week offer from the Chinese league.
In the press conference, Wenger said, “If people want to go to China, they go to China. I have different worries ahead of the Manchester City game.”
Sanchez has been in top form since the start of the campaign, scoring on his own free will. Featuring in a new centre-forward role, the Arsenal number 7 has ploughed in the goals and is the league’s leading scorer along with Chelsea’s Diego Costa with 12 goals.
He is definitely one of the key players in Arsenal’s title hopes and it is unlikely that Wenger will let him go, if at all, for cheap.
