Manchester City’s summer pursuit of Alexis Sanchez certainly doesn’t seem like ending just yet as reports in the Mirror today have claimed that they are prepared to offer £70 million to snap him up.
With reports in The Sun also now claiming he will be offered a staggering £400,000-a-week contract if he joined, earning him £21million-per-year, it could be one final roll of the dice from City.
It is understood that boss Pep Guardiola, alongside the club’s owners, will continue to chase the Chilean talisman until the transfer window deadline on August 31 in the hope Arsenal will give in.
The 28-year-old has entered the final year of his current contract at the Emirates but, in a lengthy interview relayed by the Telegraph last week, boss Arsene Wenger admitted that he may have no choice but to let Sanchez leave for free next summer if contract negotiations fail to develop between player and club.
Sanchez has missed Arsenal’s opening two Premier League matches of the season through an abdominal injury but it is believed he could be in line to feature against Liverpool next weekend.
In other news, Manchester City have been handed a potential boost in their chase of West Brom defender Jonny Evans after boss Tony Pulis admitted it’s ‘difficult’ when the big clubs come calling.
The Telegraph had reported earlier this week that City have had an offer of £18million rejected by their Premier League rivals, with the Baggies categorically saying that Evans will not be up for sale.
But – after being left out of Saturday’s squad for the trip to Burnley – speculation has been rising, with The Sun claiming on Friday that an offer of closer to £30million could potentially force a move.
And speaking after West Brom’s victory on Saturday, boss Pulis said: “When it’s Man City or one of the top four or five clubs, it’s very, very difficult then because it affects the player because they have the chance to better themselves.
“We don’t want to stop him from doing something he wants to do. We don’t want to have a player that stays at the football club and is disappointed.”
The Northern Ireland defender has been at the Hawthorns for two seasons since his switch from City’s fierce rivals Manchester United in 2015, and he was made the club captain just a matter of weeks ago.
Away from transfer speculation, Manchester City’s trio of Fabian Delph, Benjamin Mendy and Ilkay Gundogan have all been ruled out of contention for Monday night’s Premier League test with Everton.
Both Delph and Mendy are approaching a return from their respective injuries, with the new £50million signing from Monaco poised to make his debut over the course of the next few weeks.
But boss Pep Guardiola is insistent that he won’t rush Gundogan back into first-team action before he’s 100% ready following his lengthy spell on the sidelines, suffering ligament damage back in December.
Talking to the Manchester Evening News, the Spaniard said: “He played a few minutes in Girona so we are going to see. He is really well and training well. He needs time and confidence.
“When you have the problems he had in the past with injuries in the last two years he has to be 100 percent sure he is ready.”
Aside from that Guardiola has no fresh injury concerns heading into a tricky test against a new-look Everton outfit at the Etihad as his side look to make it back-to-back victories to start the new campaign.