Chelsea have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez, who will not be allowed to move to a Premier League rival.
Daily Mail have reported that Arsenal will bar Alexis Sanchez from joining a Premier League rival, and the Gunners will only let their star forward join a club from outside England. This is set to deal a huge blow to Chelsea, who have been heavily linked with a move for the Chilean international.
Sanchez has been the talisman for Arsenal this season, taking to his new role as the focal point of the Gunners’ attack this season like fish to water. Having already been one of the most consistent goalscorers for the North London club in the last two seasons, his numbers have seen a significant improvement this term.
Sanchez has scored 17 goals in addition to another 10 assists in 26 Premier League games this season, meaning he has directly contributed to a goal in every game. He also boasts one of the best scoring rates in the English football, netting a goal every 129 minutes.
It goes without saying that he has been one of the most standout performers, not just for Arsenal, but in the Premier League as well. However, despite being such a prolific contributor in attack for the club, it is looking likelier by the day that Sanchez could depart from the Emirates Stadium in the summer.
The 28-year-old has been locked in a contract standoff with Arsenal for many months now, and little progress has been made towards agreeing a renewal on the deal that ends in June 2018. He was also benched during Arsenal’s 3-1 loss to Liverpool last weekend, which has only worsened the situation further.
With his future being mired in uncertainty at the Emirates, Chelsea had been monitoring Sanchez’s situation closely. The runaway Premier League leaders are reported to be lining up a sensational summer move for the player, to create formidable triumvirate of Sanchez, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard next season.
However, as per the report, Arsenal will not let Sanchez join another Premier League club should he leave Arsenal in the summer, with the North London club desperate to avoid a repeat of Robin van Persie’s transfer to Manchester United that left them red faced in 2012.
Instead, they will be open to offers from clubs outside England, putting the ball in the court of the likes of Inter Milan, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid, who have all registered an interest in Sanchez in recent months.
It remains to be seen if any of these clubs come up with a concrete offer to sign Sanchez in the summer, but one thing remains certain now. The Chilean superstar is not joining any of Arsenal’s rivals in the Premier League come June, if he does depart from the Emirates.
