Arsène Wenger has told his pre-match press conference that he is willing to make a financial sacrifice to keep Alexis Sanchez, losing him for free next summer rather than cashing in now.

The Arsenal star is still yet to commit his future to the club and only has a year left on his current deal, so there have been rumours of a possible move away. But Wenger has told reporters that he’s made his decision on the player, saying: “It’s not an ideal situation on the financial side and it demands some sacrifice,” reports talkSPORT.

“But we have to make a choice between efficiency on the field and financial interest and most of the time if you can find a good compromise, it’s better. But in this case, I think I prioritise the fact that he will be useful on the sporting side.”

This will be news to the ears of the Arsenal supporters who were still worrying about the possibility of an exit by the Chilean in the current window. Less encouraging was the response to the question about Alexis’ new contract discussions, to which Arsène responded: “We have not progressed on that front,

“At the moment he is a player who goes into the final year of his contract and prepares for the season. We have not made any progress on the other front.”

In the past, Arsenal have sometimes appeared to choose the financial side of things, especially as the club moved into a new stadium at great expense. However, this appears to be changing, with management apparently willing to make a loss on Alexis as long as he can stay in the team for now.

Alexis scored 30 goals for Arsenal last season, as well as providing 19 assists, and this is not something that Wenger is willing to let go of if at all possible. If Alexis can help Arsenal back into the Champions League, that alone could help offset the money lost on his departure. So maybe the Arsenal manager is thinking long-term after all.