Manchester United have lodged a £25 million bid for Alexis Sanchez as they seek to pip arch-rivals Manchester City to the Arsenal forward, reports The Guardian.
Pep Guardiola is said to have a £20m offer on the table for a player who is set to be out of contract at the end of the season.
Jose Mourinho has now countered that approach, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan offered to Arsenal in an effort to help sweeten the deal.
Monaco head coach Leonardo Jardim has said that his club do not expect to sell attacker Thomas Lemar this January, but he confessed that if an astronomical offer came their way, they would be in no position to decline it.
Liverpool and Arsenal have both been linked to the France international in recent weeks, and while Jardim wants to keep the 22-year-old as long as possible, he is aware of the financial realities of the modern game.
Arsenal put off-field chaos behind them to come from behind and claim victory in their Europa League opener against Cologne.
Crowd trouble outside the Emirates meant kick-off was delayed by an hour with 20,000 German supporters having descended on London. And when Jhon Cordoba fired the visitors ahead early in the piece, it looked like being a nightmare evening for the hosts.
But Arsene Wenger's side rallied in the second half with Sead Kolasinac levelling shortly after the break. Alexis Sanchez's stunner made it 2-1, before Hector Bellerin sealed the deal nine minutes from time.
Here are five talking points from the Emirates...
1. Off-field chaos delays kick-off
It was an eventful night before a ball had been kicked in north London. Around 20,000 Cologne fans arrived in London to support their team, despite the away allocation being just under 3,000.
Stewards and police were forced to hold spectators outside the stadium amid safety fears, before turnstiles were eventually opened with a one-hour delay to kick-off announced.
Thousands of Cologne fans had managed to attain tickets in home sections of the Emirates, with some trying to gain access to the away end from inside the ground.
Four arrests were made, and it's unlikely we've heard the last of it.
2. Wenger wins game with tactical adjustment
Arsene Wenger made plenty of changes with Chelsea in mind and it was evident from the start that the 3-4-3 was not working.
At 0-1, Wenger switched it up to a 4-2-3-1 and it worked: substitute Sead Kolasinac used the ball well in deeper areas and Alexis Sanchez was able to run at Cologne from the left channel.
Will the Gunners boss be brave enough to not match up the Blues on Sunday? Or will he fall into the trap of mimicking Antonio Conte with a system that still may not entirely suit his squad.
3. All is forgiven with Sanchez
It was only a few weeks ago the Chilean was looking to move to Manchester City, with the Citizens launching a Deadline Day bid for the forward.
Arsenal were unable to sign Thomas Lemar as a replacement, meaning the 28-year-old was forced to stay put in north London.
He's since returned for the Gunners, and featured in their 4-0 hammering at the hands of Liverpool in the Premier League. His body language during the game only added to the idea he no longer wants to be at the Emirates.
But against Cologne is seems everything was suddenly forgiven.
Sanchez showed exactly why Arsene Wenger was so keen to keep hold of him with a stunning long-range strike to ensure Arsenal took all three points from the fixture. Football is a fickle game.
4. Kolasinac can become match-winner for Gunners
Whether Wenger was saving Kolasinac for Sunday or not remains to be seen, but the former Schalke star has proven to be decisive in the final third.
His strength also helps the Gunners defend better from set-pieces and his composure on the ball offers a better outlet down the left flank.
The Gunners may look for Kolasinac's quality on the ball as a mainstay of their attack and should he link up with Alexis Sanchez on a regular basis, Wenger may have the luxury of one of the best left sides in the Premier League.
5. Cologne's struggles continue
After three games of the Bundesliga season, Cologne are bottom having lost all three matches, scoring just one goal and shipping seven.
They will have seen the Europa League as a welcome distraction and a chance to turn their season around, and will have been buoyed by the early goal.
But old frailties were exploited by the Gunners after the break, and there would be no joyous return to European competition after 25 years away.
ARSENAL FANS CONCERNED OVER SEGREGATION AS COLOGNE FANS SET FLARES
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said on Wednesday he has had no contact with Paris Saint-Germain regarding Alexis Sanchez, who will miss the start of the season through injury.
Sanchez, 28, has been linked with a move to PSG, who have just completed a world-record 222 million euros ($260 million) swoop for Barcelona superstar Neymar.
But Wenger said he had not heard from PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and referred to French media reports suggesting PSG are more interested in signing Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe.
“It’s a long time I didn’t speak to Nasser, because it’s certainly very busy to complete the transfer of Neymar,” Wenger told a press conference at Arsenal’s London Colney base.
Asked if he expected Al-Khelaifi to get in touch, Wenger replied: “No, no. I think if you read the French papers, they are on Mbappe’s case to finish their transfer market.”
Wenger was coy, though, when he was asked if any bids had been tabled for Sanchez.
“I can’t tell you that at the moment,” said the Frenchman, whose side open their Premier League campaign at home to Leicester City on Friday.
“I just think we are not open — what I said to you many times — to any offers, anyway.”
Sanchez, who has also been linked with Manchester City, has not played for Arsenal in pre-season after being granted extra time off after playing at the Confederations Cup with Chile.
Wenger said the forward had sustained an abdominal injury and was likely to miss both Friday’s game against Leicester and the trip to Stoke City on August 19.
“He has a little abdominal strain that he caught on Sunday morning in training, before he came to Wembley (for last Sunday’s Community Shield),” Wenger said.
“He had a scan two days ago and he’s out for a while. I don’t know if it is two weeks or one more week, but he will not be available. I think he will not play at Stoke, yes.”
Wenger added: “For us Alexis Sanchez is a loss, of course. But we have all the other players prepared in pre-season and they are all ready.
“It can happen in pre-season and anyway, I don’t think I would have included him on Friday night. I don’t think I would have started him.”
Speaking after Arsenal beat Chelsea on penalties at Wembley, Wenger revealed he was looking to trim his squad before the transfer window closes, but he said no departures were currently imminent.
“No,” he replied when asked if any players were poised to leave.
“Yesterday I had the managers’ meeting and was talking with the other managers in the other clubs. It looks like everywhere there is many, many players and a bit of congestion at the moment everywhere.”
Arsenal scouts were interested in Juventus’ Mario Lemina, but saw manager Arsene Wenger block any potential move, reports the Evening Standard. Wenger remains largely in control of transfer policy at the Emirates, after signing his two-year extension earlier this summer.
The long-serving Gunners boss chose to prioritise other targets, including the signing of Alexandre Lacazette.
It is also understood that Wenger fought off the board’s stance, that Alexis Sanchez would be sold if a big offer came in.
Sanchez is into the final year of his current deal at the club and the board were looking at cashing in on the 28-year-old now, rather than lose out when he becomes a free agent next year.
Chelsea and Tottenham stars dominate the nominations for the Premier League Player of the Season award.
The Blues who have already been confirmed league champions, have N’Golo Kante, Eden Hazard and Cesar Azpilicueta on the shortlist.
Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghem make the shortlist for Spurs.
Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez and Everton’s Romelu Lukaku make up the nominees’ list.
Kante is in the running for a hat-trick of individual awards. The France midfielder, who has won the title with two different clubs in two years, has already clinched the PFA Player of the Year and Football Writers’ Player of the Year gongs.
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