According to reports in the Express and CalcioMercatoWeb, Juventus are set to offer striker Mario Mandzukic plus a cash sum to try and convince Arsenal to sell one of their key players, while Manchester City monitor the situation.
Alexis Sánchez, who was heavily linked with a move to Turin before opting for the Emirates two seasons ago, has two years left on his current contract deal.
Arséne Wenger has already confirmed the club have begun negotiations with Alexis and Mesut Özil over new-and-improved extensions, but suggestions have been made that Sánchez could be persuaded with a lucrative move back to the Serie A. This has meant Juve are reportedly interested once again and the club’s CEO, Beppe Marotta, is preparing for a lucrative offer to try and force Arsenal into selling the Chilean forward.
Despite his importance and world-class quality, reports have gone with the angle that every player has his price and the fact Wenger was previously interested in Mandzukic’s services two years ago means he could be an effective makeweight in the deal, as he’s surplus to requirements in Massimiliano Allegri’s ever-improving side.
Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuaín and Marko Pjaca are all preferred to the imposing Croatian, who was reportedly on Arsenal’s radar during his time with Bayern Munich.
Having spent five successful years at Udinese, it seems unlikely that Alexis would be seeking a move back to Italy but having settled in the country and learned the language, it’s a feasible option on the table. With a number of attacking options already at Arsenal though, it seems highly unlikely Mandzukic would be part of negotiations and that’s assuming Alexis rejects a new deal.
According to reports Manchester City have also been monitoring Alexis’ contract situation, and it seems these next few months will be crucial as to whether the Chilean puts pen-to-paper on a new deal or not.