Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling will not be joining Arsenal in a deal that could see Alexis Sanchez go the other way, according to latest reports.
Sky sources are reporting that Sterling is staying put at Manchester City, despite reports from BBC’s David Ornstein that Arsenal would only be interested in letting Alexis Sanchez go if a player moves in the other direction.
Sky sources: @sterling7 is staying at @ManCity and won't be going to @Arsenal as part of any deal involving @Alexis_Sanchez. #SSN pic.twitter.com/GJLnuzpugB
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 30, 2017
This seems to take any deal for Alexis off the table. Arsenal have been adamant all summer that the Chilean international is not for sale, but City are clearly unwilling to give up.
It’s no surprise that the Sky Blues want to hold onto Sterling. With 10 goals and 21 assists in all competitions last season, the 22-year-old is one of the more important players in their squad.
However, the same could surely be said of Alexis Sanchez, who scored 30 and assisted 19 for Arsenal in 2016/17. If City want their target badly enough, I feel they will have to make sacrifices, because otherwise the Gunners have very little incentive to sell.
I think the most likely option is that Alexis will still be wearing an Arsenal shirt on Saturday, September 9 when we face Bournemouth.