Manchester City are reportedly set to offer Jason Denayer as a sweetener to Arsenal in order to secure a summer deal for Alexis Sanchez.
According to a report in The Sun, Manchester City are eager to secure the services of Alexis Sanchez in the summer and are considering offering Jason Denayer to Arsenal as a makeweight in any possible deal for the Chilean attacker.
Sanchez has been one of the most instrumental figures at Arsenal ever since he secured a move from Barcelona in 2014. And he has been the Gunners’ talisman this season, enjoying the most productive season of his senior career as he has bagged 25 goals in addition to 18 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions.
Manchester City lead the race to sign Alexis Sánchez and could offer Jason Denayer to Arsenal as part of a £50m deal. (Source: Sun Sport) pic.twitter.com/SjLeFkk63w
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) May 10, 2017
However, as the season has wore on, Sanchez has cut an increasingly embattled figure often showing his displeasure at Arsenal’s capitulation publicly. To make matters worse for the North London club, Sanchez has been embroiled in a contract standoff with them for the better part of the current campaign.
There have been reports that have suggested that Arsenal are even willing to make Sanchez the best paid player in the Premier League, with a £300,000-a-week deal on the table. Despite that, though, there has been little movement over agreeing on a renewal.
Several reports have even suggested that, with just over a year remaining on his current deal with Arsenal, Sanchez already has one foot out the exit door at the Emirates. And with Chilean arguably being one of the best players in the world, there is no dearth of suitors vying for his signature either.
In fact, the likes of Bayern Munich, PSG, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea have all been linked with a move for Sanchez in the summer. However, Manchester City could trump them all with a deal that involves one of their own players as a sweetener.
Manchester City’s interest in Sanchez is not new as they have been monitoring his situation for a long time now. However, with Arsenal unwilling to sell Sanchez to a rival, the Citizens are eager to find a way to persuade the North London club to let go of their prized asset.
Therefore, they are considering offering Denayer as part of any deal that is struck for Sanchez in the summer transfer window. Denayer joined Manchester City’s youth squad in 2013, but having graduated from the academy in 2014, he is yet to make his competitive debut for the club.
He has embarked on three different loan spells in the last three seasons, and his future at the club looks bleak. Thus, City are pondering over offering the Belgian as part of a deal to land Sanchez in the summer.
While Denayer’s versatility to player as a centre-back, right-back as well as a central midfielder does make him an appealing prospect worth considering, his qualities do not make him an upgrade on the options that Arsene Wenger has at his disposal currently.
Thus, it is hard to see how Arsenal will agree to such a deal, even though they may be getting a talented player – and a former target – as part of it. Pep Guardiola, though, knows that Sanchez will add a lot of value to his squad, and is eager to leave no stone unturned in order to land him in the summer.
