Manchester: Manchester City are preparing an opening offer for Alexis Sanchez after entering into talks with Arsenal for the unsettled striker.
But Arsenal still want to secure a replacement before allowing Sanchez to leave and are holding out for up to pounds 35 million for the Chilean, which is considerably more than the Premier League leaders have envisaged paying.
Lyon playmaker Nabil Fekir is high on Arsenal’s list of potential replacements for Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, who is also out of contract at the end of the season.
City and Arsenal also face a battle in their pursuit of West Bromwich Albion centre-half Jonny Evans as they bid to bolster their defences.
Both clubs made contact with West Brom over the weekend after failing with bids for the former Manchester United defender last summer and they are expected to hold further talks over the next 48 to 72 hours.
Arsenal are prepared to offer right-back Mathieu Debuchy as part of a package, but Evans’s preference is to play under Pep Guardiola at City, even though he would be open to a move to London. West Brom are prepared to sell after accepting that the defender, who has 18 months left on his contract, does not want to stay.
City, who faced Bristol City in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at the Etihad Stadium last night, were ready to wait until the summer for Sanchez, when he is due to become a free agent, but a worrying knee injury to Gabriel Jesus has forced them to rethink.
Jesus was diagnosed with medial ligament damage and ruled out for around six weeks but told he did not require an operation. Yet he is due to return to Barcelona this week for further assessment by Dr Ramon Cugat after initially being seen by the orthopaedic surgeon at the Quironsalud hospital last week.
City insist this was always planned, but there have been unconfirmed foreign media reports that the injury may be more serious and that the centre-forward could even have suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament. No one at City has commented but the club appear to have concluded that they should move for Sanchez now, with Sergio Aguero their only fit alternative.
Sanchez would stand to make more money from a transfer in the summer, when he would be entitled to a huge signing-on bonus as a free agent, but he is thought to favour a move now.
City were thought to be reluctant to offer much more than pounds 20 million this month and an opening bid could be around that amount, but that would fall short of Arsenal’s valuation. Arsenal would prefer to sell overseas, with Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich linked, but Sanchez’s preference is City.
Their pound 60 million bid for him in August collapsed after Arsenal failed in a deadline day attempt to sign Monaco’s Thomas Lemar as a replacement. Liverpool are keen to sign Lemar after selling Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona and Arsenal are known to have been watching Fekir closely. A France international, the 24-year-old attacking midfielder has scored 30 goals in the past 18 months for Lyon.
Arsenal have also tracked Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubemayang, but Arsene Wenger ruled out the possibility of a deal last week.
Arsenal will imminently hold contract talks with Jack Wilshere, as well as Ozil, following the England midfielder’s impressive first-team return, although terms are likely to be heavily incentivised according to appearances and performances. Wilshere is out of contract at the end of the season.
Having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Nottingham Forest on Sunday after resting key players, Wenger is intending to select a virtual full-strength team in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final against Chelsea tomorrow night. Ozil, Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette are all expected to return to the squad.
