Luis Enrique wants his new job to be somewhere he feels loved with a project that gets him excited.

He also reportedly wants £15m-a-year and a big transfer budget.

Over the last few days it emerged that Raul Sanllehi was leading the charge for Arsenal’s next manager and his former Barcelona colleague, Luis Enrique, was reportedly the favourite for the job.

Although Arsenal have three other managers who they are keeping as back-ups in case they can’t find an agreement with Enrique (Ancelotti, Vieira, Jardim), talks with the Spaniard were said to be ‘advanced’.

Then it was claimed in Spain that Enrique had decided to go to Chelsea instead.

Speaking to Ibon Zugasti, the former Spanish cyclist, Enrique said at the start of April that he had not yet been tempted by a new job. That was, of course, before Arsene Wenger stepped down.

“It will depend on someone loving me, but it has to be something that really excites me,” he added.

Raul Sanllehi is said to be a ‘crucial’ cog in the Arsenal machine if they want to lure Luis Enrique to the club to replace Wenger this summer.

Mundo Deportivo believe that Raul Sanllehi’s relationship with Enrique could play a crucial role in helping him decide where to go next. The pair worked together at Barcelona and this relationship is said to hand Arsenal a ‘distinct advantage’ over other clubs who are interested in signing him.

Arsenal are reportedly confident they can land Luis Enrique ahead of Chelsea after the Blues baulked at the Spaniards wage demands, said to be in the region of £15m-a-year.

If that seems excessive, then you’d be right but the latest reports from Spain don’t seem to think his wages are a problem any more.

Arsene Wenger is currently earning £8.9m-per-year while any new boss would come in with a much smaller remit than the Frenchman has had over the past two decades. It looks, however, like Arsenal will have to pay their new manager more to do less.

At Manchester United, Jose Mourinho earns £15m. Pep Guardiola gets £15.3m at City but the highest paid manager in world football is the Chinese national team manager, Marceollo Lippi, who earns £18m-per-year.

£15m-a-year translates into £288k-per-week for those who prefer their salaries more like footballers although it is hoped that Enrique will consider a lower salary after a year out of the game.

Of course, according to another report in the Telegraph, Arsenal haven’t even made a decision who will be their new manager

Ivan Gazidis reportedly wants to do a ‘thorough’ job which is all very well and good, but we don’t have that much time.

Despite being caught short last summer, it seems the club are, once again, unprepared for life after Wenger which is just staggering.

Matt Law also writes in the Telegraph that Arsenal are ‘not expected to go for an Italian which would rule out Allegri or Sari,’ but I find it very strange to think that Arsenal are chunking their potential managers into nationalities and ruling them out by country.

Law also claims that Allegri is not seen as someone who could energise the stadium and bring back stay-away fans which seems another odd claim to make.

Three league titles in a row with a fourth this season a real possibility doesn’t seem to be something that would quieten fans or keep them away.

For whatever reason, most likely an inability to make a decision for themselves without Wenger, Arsenal are not expected to make an announcement until the end of the season.

For his part, Luis Enrique is said to be very interested in the job while appreciating the ‘philosophy’ at Arsenal. He is also said to be very interested in the Chelsea job, too.

L’Equipe claimed that Sanllehi and Enrique were recently spotted in a London restaurant. Sport claim he’s already held meetings with Chelsea.

Speaking at his press conference ahead of the Ateltico Madrid first leg clash, Arsene Wenger was quizzed about Enrique. “I don’t want to influence the next manager, but of course I have a high opinion of Luis Enrique,” Wenger answered.