Bayern Munich have staged talks with Alexis Sanchez’s representatives as they continue their pursuit of the Arsenal forward, reports The Daily Mirror.
Sanchez, 28, will have 12 months remaining on his existing Arsenal deal at the end of the season and continued contract talks have been shelved until the summer.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is adamant the club would rather see Sanchez run down the final year of his contract than leave in the summer, but it seems an unlikely outcome given they could still fetch a huge fee for one of the Premier League’s best players.
However, selling the Chile international abroad would certainly be a more appealing solution to Arsenal than handing him to one of their direct rivals in the Premier League, even if Sanchez has already revealed he would like to stay in London.
Bayern chiefs were in attendance for Arsenal’s FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City at the end of last month to keep a keen eye on their No.1 summer transfer target and the Bundesliga champions have now held discussions with Sanchez’s agent Fernando Felicevich, who also happens to represent Sanchez’s international teammate and current Bayern midfielder, Arturo Vidal.
The Bundesliga giants have endured a rocky relationship with Felicevich in the past, particularly in their pursuit of Vidal before eventually signing him from Juventus in 2015, but are now ready to do business once again with Sanchez the top of their summer wish list.
Sanchez is the third highest rated player in the Premier League this season (7.70) having played a direct hand in 27 goals in 33 league appearances for Arsenal.
For more stats on Alexis Sanchez, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
This would be a great signing for Bayern, especially. He'd fit in perfectly. But would he replace Lewandowski? Because he is much better down the middle, compared to the wings, and I'd love to see him there. Or a 4-4-2 along with Lewa? Unlikely, but tantalizing.