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Arsene Wenger is adamant his stance that Alexis Sanchez will not be sold to Manchester City.
The 28-year-old is yet to commit his future to Arsenal despite being offered lucrative terms of upwards of £275,000 and with only a year remaining on his current contract the club run the risk of losing him for nothing next summer.
Pep Guardiola sees the Chilean star as the last piece of his attacking puzzle at the Etihad with the player himself understood to have his heart set on a reunion with his former manager at Barcelona.
How could Arsenal line up this season?Show all 12 1 /12How could Arsenal line up this season? How could Arsenal line up this season? How could Arsenal line up next season? How could Arsenal line up next season?
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How could Arsenal line up this season? GK: Petr Cech Cech may have been dropped for the FA Cup final, but the experienced shot-stopper is unlikely to lose his Premier League place anytime soon. The goalkeeper will turn 36 next season and yet he remains one of Arsenal’s best players.
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How could Arsenal line up this season? WB: Hector Bellerin Struggled for form towards the end of last season but still one of the best full-backs in the country. Offers pace and power down the wing.
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How could Arsenal line up this season? CB: Shkodran Mustafi The German defender enjoyed a solid debut campaign in English football, making 37 appearances in all competitions for the club. Still only 25 and will improve next season, with a year of English football already under his belt.
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How could Arsenal line up this season? CB: Laurent Koscielny His poor discipline cost Arsenal in a couple of vital games, but he remains an important, influential player. There have been rumours Marseille have made Koscielny their top transfer target this summer, but it is highly unlikely Arsenal will sell.
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How could Arsenal line up this season? CB: Rob Holding After impressing with his maturity and composure in a back-three last season, there's every chance Arsene Wenger could place his faith in the youngster once again for the new campaign.
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How could Arsenal line up this season? WB: Sead Kolasinac Arsenal’s first signing of the summer. A versatile 23-year-old defender, Kolasinac plays predominantly at left-back but expect Wenger to have him push on.
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How could Arsenal line up this season? CDM: Granit Xhaka Attracted a lot of criticism for his displays last season, but grew in confidence throughout the campaign and has the talent to become a vital player for Arsenal over the coming seasons. A superb distributor of the ball.
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How could Arsenal line up this season? CM: Santi Cazorla One of Arsenal's most technically-gifted players and the glue that keeps the side's midfield together. Doubts over his fitness and whether he's got another season left in him, but should he be firing on all cylinders Wenger will want to make full use of him.
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How could Arsenal line up this season? LCM: Mesut Ozil Still negotiating a contract extension with the club. His performance levels dipped alarmingly last season, but when he is in form, he remains one of the finest passers of the ball in the world.
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How could Arsenal line up this season? RCM: Riyad Mahrez Mahrez recently announced his intentions to leave Leicester this summer and Wenger refused to rule out a move for the Premier League champion. Mahrez would bring real flair to Arsenal's side, as well as the ability to make something out of nothing.
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How could Arsenal line up this season? CF: Alexandre Lacazette The instinctive centre-forward that Arsenal have longed for ever since Robin van Persie's departure. Industrious and physical, he'll bring a tough edge to Arsenal's front line.
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But Wenger, speaking is resolute that he would not be prepared to sell to a rival Premier League club whatever the price.
"That's in the continuity of what I said at the end of the season; that's what we will do," he added.
Wenger is still of the belief that Sanchez - who last month said he knew where he would be playing next season but stopped short of announcing his plans - could still extend his stay in north London.
"The players come back and we expect them to respect their contracts," he said.
Asked whether Sanchez had told him he wanted to leave, the Frenchman added: "No. Nobody knows today if Sanchez will be in the final year of his contract next season, because he can as well extend his contract with us at the start of the season or during the season, so it's not necessarily the last year of his contract with Arsenal."
Given that Arsenal are far less enthusiastic about Sanchez staying in England than going to Bayern, it would effectively take the kind of mega-offer - potentially above £90m - from City to change the French coach’s mind and actually make the deal happen.
Wenger is well aware of the prospective symbolism surrounding such a move as much as anything else, though, and is currently prepared to reject all offers.
Arsenal summer transfer targetsShow all 6 1 /6Arsenal summer transfer targets Arsenal summer transfer targets Thomas Lemar (Monaco) Age: 21 Position: Left-wing Likelihood: 5/10 After their eye-catching run to the semi-finals of the Champions League, Monaco are being gutted by European football’s elite. One of their many bright young things is Lemar, who would slot right into Alexis Sanchez’s left-sided role at Arsenal should the Chilean leave the Emirates this summer. The problem? Monaco are not selling, or at least not for Arsenal’s reported initial offer of £30.75m.
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Arsenal summer transfer targets Kylian Mbappé (Monaco) Age: 18 Position: Left/right-wing Likelihood: 3/10 Another Monaco player, Mbappé is one of the hottest properties in Europe and is perhaps a surprise inclusion on the list, with many expecting the teenager to move to Real Madrid, if anywhere, this summer. Arsène Wenger is said to have struck up something of an accord with the lightning quick winger’s family and harbours hopes of convincing Thierry Henry’s rightful heir that north London is the best place for his development.
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Arsenal summer transfer targets Riyad Mahrez (Leicester) Age: 26 Position: Right-wing Likelihood: 4/10 It is no secret that Wenger is a long-time admirer of Mahrez, whose stock has fallen somewhat following that remarkable title-winning campaign with Leicester City in 2015/16. While some of Europe’s top clubs were hovering around the Algerian this time last year, the coast is now relatively clear. The only worry is whether Mahrez can recreate the scintillating form he began to show two years ago.
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Arsenal summer transfer targets Jean Michaël Seri (Nice) Age: 25 Position: Centre-midfield Likelihood: 5/10 Seri was one of Nice’s stand-out players during their surprise challenge for the Ligue 1 title last term. If Santi Cazorla’s injury woes continue into the new season, the Cote d’Ivoire international could prove to be an ideal replacement, but his performances in the south of France have not gone unnoticed. Roma, Southampton, Tottenham and Leicester have all been keeping tabs on the midfielder.
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Arsenal summer transfer targets Mario Lemina (Juventus) Age: 23 Position: Centre-midfield Likelihood: 3/10 Gabon international Lemina is in search of regular playing time away from Turin, where he has struggled to establish himself in Max Allegri’s first-choice XI. “I want to play more,” he said in June. “I think it's right for me to play more, find a club capable of giving me more space. At 23 I want to show what I can do.” Could he find the minutes he needs in north London? At the moment, there seems to be little concrete about Arsenal’s reported ‘interest’.
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Arsenal summer transfer targets Aleksandr Golovin (CSKA Moscow) Age: 21 Position: Centre-midfield Likelihood: 2/10 Another midfielder whose name has been bandied around in the gossip columns this summer, but with few solid leads for transfer-hungry supporters to pursue. Any deal for the talented CSKA Moscow academy graduate would likely involve him being loaned back to his current club, if indeed any such deal is likely at all.
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Some close to the Chilean’s have started to talk about the idea of preparing for another season at the Emirates, and running out his contract.
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