Manchester City will reportedly make a bid of just £20m for Arsenal contract rebel Alexis Sanchez when the transfer window re-opens in January.
The report is according to the Sun, who have claimed that Pep Guardiola’s side will make an offer that is two-thirds less than the amount of cash they put forward to sign the striker on transfer deadline day.
City saw a £60m bid the Chilean rejected by the north London side last Thursday as they tried a persuade the Gunners to part with their star man.
With Sanchez set to enter the final six months of his current deal at the turn of the year, and with no alleged intentions on his part to agree a new contract, Guardiola’s side will try and swoop for him again with a smaller fee.
Sanchez is free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs when the winter window opens on 1st January 2018 as he continues to resist signing a new contract at the Emirates.
Man City, though, remain confident that they can hijack him to the Etihad and be reunited with former manager Guardiola – the pair having worked together at Barcelona during the 2011/12 season.
The City boss has a plethora of superb attacking options already in his squad, including Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, and Leroy Sane.
The signing of Sanchez, however, would be a huge coup for the Citizens and land a significant blow to the Gunners, whose 2017/18 season has begun in poor form.
Arsene Wenger’s side tried to convince him that his future lies in the English capital, but are still believed to be reluctant to break their current wage structure to welcome his reported salary demands of £280,000-a-week.
That is a wage that they would have no issue paying, and there appears to be an increasing likelihood that Sanchez will be playing in sky blue sooner rather than later.