Manchester City plan to come back with a big offer for Alexis Sanchez in January, as manager Pep Guardiola looks to test Arsène Wenger’s resolve.
The Independent write that Guardiola is hopeful of completing a Premier League and Champions League double with City this season, and feels signing Alexis in January could aid them in their quest.
The Gunners reportedly don’t want to let the Chilean go unless it’s for a fair price, despite his contract being up in six months. City are considering paying up now, however, rather than waiting for a potential free transfer in the summer, so Arsenal may be faced with a lofty bid next month.
During the summer, the general sense was that Arsenal would only let Alexis leave if they could bring in an adequate replacement, and I doubt that sentiment has changed much.
Arsenal do have a couple of options out there to replace the 28-year-old, particularly Nabil Fekir and Thomas Lemar from Ligue 1. If either player is available in January, and City are willing to pay a fair price to the Gunners, the move would make sense.
In my opinion, Arsenal would be better off looking to the future and bringing in someone new than sticking with Alexis as he gets more and more restless thinking about what’s next for himself.