Alexis Sanchez rejects mega move to China to join Manchester City

Add as a preferred source on Google

Bengaluru, December 18: Arsenal superstar Alexis Sanchez snubbed a staggering £400k per week offer from China to cement a move to Manchester City.

The Arsenal contract rebel was sounded out about moving to Hebei China Fortune in a mega-money move. But, the Chilean forward made it clear his first choice is to reunite with his former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola at the Etihad when he leaves the Emirates Stadium.

The deal to the Far East would have pocketed him a mammoth £21million per year after tax. That means he would need to earn around £800,000 a week to take home the same money in England.

Sanchez is going out of contract at Arsenal in the summer and is eager to reunite with Guardiola at the Etihad. However, there is no chance that he will earn anything close to the money he was about to get in China at Manchester City or any other English club.

The Cityzens were close to landing the South American on the final day of last summer’s transfer window.

Arsenal were poised to accept City’s £55million offer plus another £5m in add-ons but the Gunners later pulled out of the deal as the Chilean's potential replacement Thomas Lemar of AS Monaco rejected the Gunners.

That has cost Arsenal dearly as well as they will now lose Sanchez for nothing next summer. The Chilean has been pretty below par this season as well. So, it has been a loss for Arsenal both on and off the pitch.

Arsene Wenger, who paid Barca £35m to sign Sanchez in 2014, insists he will not be sold in January. And ahead of last night’s Etihad clash with Tottenham, City boss Pep Guardiola refused to confirm if he will make a fresh attempt to land Sanchez, 28, next month.

The Spaniard candidly said: “On the pitch, I don’t know. The January transfer window is in the winter.

“I don’t know, believe me, I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

Sanchez spent three years playing under Guardiola at the Nou Camp but was in the shadow of his fellow South American Lionel Messi.

The former Barca boss has previously said: “Even the big, big players who believe that they are top, when they go there they understand that Messi is unique.”