Transfer Centre

Chile boss: 'Alexis Sanchez is very happy'

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 31 August 2017

Chile manager Juan Antonio Pizzi says that Arsenal attacker Alexis Sanchez is "very, very good" despite ongoing speculation over his future.

Chile manager Juan Antonio Pizzi has said that Arsenal attacker Alexis Sanchez is in a "very, very good" mood as the final hours of the transfer window tick down.

The 28-year-old is into the final 12 months of his Gunners contract and has been repeatedly linked with a big-money move away from the Emirates this summer having rejected every offer of a new deal to date.

Manchester City have already failed with a £50m offer for the former Barcelona man but are thought to be preparing a new bid in excess of £70m in order to get the deal over the line before tonight.

Sanchez is currently away on international duty with Chile and is expected to take to the field for a World Cup qualifier with Paraguay at 11.30pm tonight - 30 minutes after the window closes - but Pizzi insists that the player is unfazed by the uncertainty over his club future.

"He is very, very good. He is happy," Pizzi told reporters last night. "Until the deadline for transfers is closed, it's difficult to elucidate Alexis's future. But one way or another, his future will be great.

"In any of the possible options that are being handled, his future is very good. Then there is no reason for him to be dissatisfied or annoyed.

"Any of the options he has are very good or excellent. We are talking about a top player that plays for one of the best teams in the world and is trained by one of the best coaches in the world. So his current conditions being an Arsenal player are almost superb and almost incomparable. Now, all the options that are being handled, are similar.

"To say that he can be nervous about his future is only a metaphoric way to talk about this. All of us would want to have this kind of worry. In many occasions, the decisions don't depend on one person, there are other interests involved and the player cannot control them. He is at the expense of this decisions.

"That is why there is a period, that the associations consider logic. August 31 I think. After tomorrow he will know better about this aspect of his career."

Having previously insisted that Sanchez would not be allowed to leave this summer, Arsenal are now reportedly prepared to let him go if they manage to secure a replacement first.