Arsenal Transfer News: Alexis Sanchez Boost Reportedly Given to Manchester City

Bayern Munich have reportedly been priced out of the race for Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez, leaving Manchester City in pole position to snap him up this summer. 

According to the Mirror's John Cross, the Gunners likely want in excess of £50 million for the forward, while the player wants a contract worth £350,000 per week, which has proved prohibitive in Bayern's case.

However, it is less of an issue for City, who appear to have just lost a major rival in their pursuit of the Chilean.

Per the Guardian's Jamie Jackson, Sanchez is keen on reuniting with City boss Pep Guardiola after the pair worked together at Barcelona.

As a result, they believe they've got him in the bag, per Bleacher Report's James McNicholas:

However, one major stumbling block for the Sky Blues is Arsenal's reluctance to strengthen a direct rival, per BBC Sport's David Ornstein:

City already boast the likes of Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane among their attacking stars, but it seems Guardiola is targeting even more depth as they look to win the Premier League title next year and compete in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Sanchez notched 30 goals and 19 assists in all competitions last season, so he's one of relatively few players who could help improve their attacking lineup at this point.

Arsenal shared some of his highlights from last year on Twitter:

The Gunners can ill afford to lose him as he's the kind of player they need to keep hold of if they're to win the title themselves, and it would be even more disastrous were he to go to City.

If he does, it's difficult to imagine Arsenal finishing above them in the league next year, or potentially anyone finishing ahead of them for that matter.

Bayern don't have the financial might that would seemingly be required to pull off a deal, though, so it leaves Arsenal in a tricky situation if Sanchez does not sign a new deal.