Report: Man City to Bid for Alexis Sanchez in January Window as Games, Injuries Mount
Manchester City are lining up a January bid for Arsenal midfielder Alexis Sanchez, despite the player being just six months away from leaving the Emirates Stadium on a free transfer.
The 29-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Citizens since the summer, when it was reported that the Gunners pulled the plug on a £60m deadline day move which would have taken the Chile international to the north west.
It was thought that Pep Guardiola was willing to hold out on his pursuit of the attacker until the conclusion of this season, in the knowledge of the Etihad Stadium being the preferred choice for the former Barcelona man.
This would have afforded City the opportunity to land their priority target as a free agent, and potentially also allowed Sanchez to put pen to paper on a more lucrative contract than that of the past summer.
However, according to the Manchester Evening News, the Catalan manager is keen to step up his attempts in snapping up the playmaker in a cut price deal this month due to the lack of attacking options he currently finds himself with and the potential interest from fellow European superpowers.
Following the injury to Gabriel Jesus in the Citizens' goalless draw with Crystal Palace on New Year's Eve, which will keep the Brazilian sidelined for up to six weeks, Guardiola has now a solitary striker in the form of Sergio Aguero available within his ranks.
That, in addition to two fellow bids from other clubs, with Paris Saint-Germain believed to be one, has called City into action, with it now expected for the north west side to table an offer for Sanchez in the coming weeks.
Arsenal are preparing to hold out for around £25m in order to release their prized asset this winter, and despite the Sky Blues previously claiming any bid would be nominal mid-campaign, it is expected the agreed figure will come close to the Gunners' expectations.
