Arsenal round-up: Sanchez bid; Chamberlain sale could be forced; Villa chase midfielder

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Alexis Sanchez remains an Arsenal time at the time of writing, but he continues to be linked with a move away from the club. The Telegraph report that Manchester City are set to make £60 million bid for the Gunners forward. Pep Guardiola is desperate to add the Chilean to his squad before the transfer deadline and is now ready to make a serious move for the player. The Gunners have been adamant that they won’t sell their best player, especially to a rival club, but this latest update suggests this transfer still has life in it.

It is unlikely that Sanchez will feature for Arsenal before the transfer window closes. The next few weeks will tell us a lot about the Gunners and their intentions. If they manage to keep the Chilean, it will be a major statement of intent and project a strong image to the footballing world. Few clubs would be prepared to risk losing a world class player on a free transfer. If they do agree to sell him, it is imperative that they source a replacement, otherwise the atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium could turn sour.

Arsenal are facing a problem, as they have been unable to clear out a number of players that are surplus to requirements. The Mirror report that this failure could force them to sell Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Chelsea. The Blues have a genuine interest in the midfielder and could submit an offer of £35 million for his services before the deadline. Although the Gunners want to keep him, they need to keep their finances in check, which one of their big names with a year left on their contract will have to depart.

The fact that they have a number of key players in the final year of their contract is a huge concern and it has forced them into this weak position in the transfer market. They need to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. The club could also learn from the number of players that are no longer wanted. They have been too willing to pay average players big wages and that makes them impossible to offload. If Oxlade-Chamberlain is sold to Chelsea, it will be entirely Arsenal’s fault. The problem was of their own making.

Another player in the final year of his contract at the Emirates Stadium is Jack Wilshere. According to the Mirror, Aston Villa are looking into the possibility of bringing the midfielder to Villa Park. Steve Bruce has made enquiries and could try to lure the England international to the Championship. Arsenal will let the midfielder leave, but they would favour a permanent deal.

It would be a surprise if he decided to drop into the Championship. He will have the ambition of making the England World Cup squad and that would be much harder if he was playing in the second tier. Aston Villa have shown that they can attract big names after the signing of John Terry earlier in the window, but this would be an even bigger shock. Wilshere needs to select his next move carefully and there will be better options available to him than Villa Park.