Arsenal: £55 Million Alexis Sanchez Should Be Sold

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly prepared to pay as much as £55 million for Alexis Sanchez this summer. If true, Arsenal should be quick to sell.

The summer transfer window is coming and with it a whole lot of change. With Arsenal still in limbo regarding the future of Arsene Wenger and many of the start players in the squad, there are still plenty of questions that are in need of answering, and none look to be coming particularly soon.

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Other than the future of Wenger, there is no more prominent and significant issue to be resolved than that of Alexis Sanchez. With his contract possessing just one more year to run from the end of the season, it has long been suggested that he will leave North London this summer.

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For Arsenal, because of his quickly expiring contract, they have little power when it comes the negotiating table, both with Sanchez and with other clubs. Sanchez can dictate what wages he wants, what clauses he desires and any other contingencies or added benefits to his contract, in full knowledge that if he is not offered them, then he can walk free just a year later.

Meanwhile, if Wenger wants to recoup value on Sanchez, then he must find a suitor willing to buy him on or before transfer deadline day this summer. While that may seem like a rather easy task, given that potential buying clubs are aware that they can sign Sanchez for free just a year later, driving a hard bargain could be a tactic that ultimately undermines Arsenal in the transfer window.

Consequently, when reports suggesting that Paris Saint-Germain are willing to pay a fee in the region of £55 million, Arsenal should be thanking their lucky stars if true. Not only does that mean that PSG are willing to pay, and pay big, it also gives the club a market value for Sanchez that they can use to barter with other suitors.

As Sanchez visibly grows increasingly frustrated with life at the Emirates, then his impending departure grows more and more likely. At some point, like with Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri before, Wenger will have to bite the bullet, accept that Sanchez will indeed leave, and shift his priorities towards trying to maximise value.

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When teams are looking to buy Sanchez, they will essentially place a value on his head based on how much one year of his services is worth. £55 million is an eye-watering figure when put into that context and the Gunners should sell quickly if they get an offer remotely in that range.