Bayern admit Arsenal's '€100m' Alexis Sanchez may be too old and expensive

Arsenal FC via Getty Images
James Olley29 June 2017

Bayern Munich appear to have pulled out of the race to sign Alexis Sanchez amid concerns about the spiralling cost of a potential deal.

Sanchez has a year left on his current Arsenal contract and has been offered a complex package worth a maximum of £300,000-a-week to stay at Emirates Stadium.

Bayern are believed to have indicated they were willing to offer Sanchez closer to £350,000-a-week in an effort to convince him to move to Germany, but that was predicated upon the idea a transfer fee would be close to £30million.

Standard Sport revealed in March that Arsenal would be reluctant to sell Sanchez to another English club if they failed to agree terms but privately admitted that an offer of £50m would be difficult to turn down if the player attempted to force through a move away from the Gunners.

Arsenal’s preference in those circumstances to sell overseas led Bayern to pursue the idea they could negotiate a smaller transfer fee, but rumours persist that Manchester City could be willing to meet the asking price if Sanchez is ready to push for a transfer.

That may have led Bayern president Uli Hoeness to distance the club from signing Sanchez, focusing instead on investing the money in a continuing policy of signing younger players.

"We are all talking about a reconstruction and about planning Bayern Munich’s future," Hoeness told kicker.

"Then we do that, signing young players between 20 and 22 - and there are critics again."

In Pictures | Alexis Sanchez at Arsenal

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On Sanchez, he added: "But you cannot reconstruct a team by signing 29 or 30-year-old players for €100m. That is no policy.

"Either we go all the way with all these young lads, and then they need to have the chance to play, or we don’t go it.

"I fully support what has been done so far, it is highly satisfactory and makes sense.

"Niklas Sule, Sebastian Rudy, Serge Gnabry and Corentin Tolisso are players with huge potential for the future."

Sanchez turns 29 in December and is not expected to address his future until Chile’s involvement at the Confederations Cup has concluded.

Chile will contest Sunday’s final against either Germany or Mexico after beating Portugal on penalties last night, with Sanchez scoring in the shoot-out.

Arsenal’s hopes of keeping Sanchez will be boosted by completing a major summer signing but they face the prospect of having to substantially increase their opening offers for the three top targets - Kylian Mbappe, Alexandre Lacazette and Thomas Lemar.

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