AFTER MONTHS OF speculation, and a recent admission that he had informed Arsenal of his wish to play Champions League football, it would appear Alexis Sanchez is finally on the brink of an Emirates exit.
With PSG chairman Nasser al Khelaifi working on a potential world-record €222m recruitment of Neymar from Barcelona, Antero Henrique, the Ligue 1 club’s sporting director, is busy prizing Sanchez away from Arsenal.
As per Julien Laurens in The Guardian, Henrique spent yesterday afternoon with the Chilean and his agent, Fernando Felicevich, at the luxurious Royal Monceau hotel in Paris city centre, edging the move ever closer.
But while Sanchez is reportedly set on a move to the 2015/16 French champions, the Parisiens will still need to convince Arsenal to part company with their talisman, who has only 12 months left on his contract. They’re expected to open the bidding at €45m (£40.3m).
Intriguingly, Arsene Wenger has an excellent relationship with chairman Al Khelaifi, who has employed the Premier League’s longest-serving manager for some years at TV stations Al Jazeera and beIN Sports. If Arsenal were to reject PSG’s opening offer, however, Laurens reports that the Ligue 1 aristocrats will increase their offer to €50m (£44.8m).
Neymar, meanwhile, has a release clause of €222m, and will earn a salary in the region of €40m should he leave Barcelona for the club they dumped out of this season’s Champions League so spectacularly.
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