Manchester City round-up: Sanchez’s Arsenal demands; Nice defender given £27m price; Stoke after midfielder

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According to reports coming from the The Sun, Arsenal forward and Manchester City target Alexis Sanchez has demanded a staggering £400,000-a-week deal to stay at the Emirates.

It is thought that the Chilean international – who the report claims has already turned down Arsene Wenger’s offer of £275,000-a-week – is holding out for a deal that would see him earn £21 million a year.

The Sun had claimed, back in early June, that Wenger was prepared to make Sanchez his highest paid player to keep him in North London next season but it appears that his initial offer wasn’t sufficient.

This news will come as a big blow for Manchester City, only a week after the The Guardian had claimed that they were growing increasingly confident of securing a deal for Sanchez during the next few weeks.

The 28-year-old was a stand-out member of Arsenal’s underwhelming Premier League campaign last year, scoring 24 times and adding 10 assists as they finished fifth.

In other news, reports from Italy have claimed that Manchester City have shown interest in bringing in Nice left-back Dalbert to re-enforce their defensive line next season.

The 23-year-old Brazilian impressed in Ligue One last year, making 33 appearances as Nice pushed Monaco and Paris Saint Germain close in the title race – eventually finishing in third ahead of Lyon.

But Italian outlet Calciomercato have alleged that the French side have raised their asking price from £13 million to around £27 million since Manchester City and Arsenal have shown interest – putting Guardiola off a deal.

It is reported that Nice’s owners have said: “We will not sell for less than 30 million Euros, which is the amount of his buy-out clause”

Due to the high asking price for Dalbert it seems likely that Guardiola will continue focusing his attention on Monaco’s Benjamin Mendy, with The Sun reporting that a £39.8 million deal is nearing completion.

Lastly, The Sun has claimed that Stoke City are poised to save Manchester City and England midfielder Fabian Delph from his torrid time at the Etihad by offering him a season-long loan.

It is understood that Stoke boss Mark Hughes is interested in the 27-year-old after he has been told that he’s not a part of Pep Guardiola’s plans for next season.

With Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling, Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva, Yaya Toure, the returning Ilkay Gundogan and new £43 million man Bernardo Silva in the midfield ranks, first team chances will be slim next year.

And the offer of a season at the Bet365 Stadium – and first-team football – could tempt Delph into a move in efforts to rejuvenate his career, potentially joining up with fellow signing Darren Fletcher in midfield.

It is thought that his high wage package is the only thing blocking a move to Stoke as things stand, although negotiations look set to continue with both parties keen on making the move a reality.

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