Arsenal will not sell Alexis Sánchez this summer, Arsène Wenger insisted yesterday in his most emphatic comments regarding the forward’s future.
Sánchez, 28, indicated that he wanted to leave the club last weekend, citing a desire to play in the Champions League. But Wenger says that Arsenal will hold him to the final year of his contract, despite the threat of losing him for nothing in 12 months.
Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are all interested in Sánchez and a bidding war could raise his value to £50 million.
“The decision has been made and we will stick to that — the decision is not to sell,” Wenger said. “We played 20 years in the Champions League, that’s 17 years before Sánchez arrived and three years with him, he can get us back.”
Wenger previously insisted that Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie would be held to their contracts before selling them to City and Manchester United respectively.
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Arsenal are in a strong financial position — demonstrated in the £44 million they paid to Lyons for Alexandre Lacazette, the France striker — but holding on to Sánchez would be a gamble as there is no prospect of him signing a new deal.
Ross Barkley wants to become Tottenham Hotspur’s highest earner on £150,000 a week if he is join them from Everton. Tottenham are expected to bid for the midfielder, who has one year left on his contract, after he rejected an offer worth £100,000 a week to stay at Goodison Park. The London club are likely to balk at Barkley’s wage demands, which are more than double the £65,000 per week he earns at Everton. They would put him ahead of Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane, both of whom signed deals of about £120,000 a week last season, as the club’s top earner.
Tottenham will consider other options, including Christian Pulisic, the 18-year-old Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder who may accept that he will not be a regular starter. Barkley, 23, is unlikely to sign a new deal at Everton and was warned last season by Ronald Koeman that he would be sold if he did not. Barkley has missed the pre-season trips to Tanzania, the Netherlands and Belgium with a groin problem.
Tottenham hope to talk to Toby Alderweireld’s representatives after the defender rejected a new contract and insisted on the inclusion of a release clause at the end of the season. Tottenham can extend Alderweireld’s deal by a further season beyond 2019, but, he has the right to insert a €30 million (about £26.6 million) release clause that can be activated from that year.
Kieran Trippier has signed a new five-year contract at Tottenham that should keep him at the club until 2022, where he is expected to be the first-choice right back next season after the sale of Kyle Walker to City.
