Arsenal Transfer News: Alexis Sanchez Regrets, Jackson Martinez Rumours

Barcelona's new international sporting director Ariedo Braida says he regrets Alexis Sanchez's summer departure from the Camp Nou to Arsenal.

Deemed surplus to requirements after the signing of Luis Suarez, the Chilean forward was sold to the Gunners for £30 million by Barca's former sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta.

Sanchez has since starred for Arsenal, scoring 12 goals and assisting seven in the Premier League this season—compared to Suarez's three goals and eight assists in La Liga, per WhoScored.com.

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And Braida has recently heaped praise on the 26-year-old—following his recent installation at the Camp Nou after Zubizarreta's January sacking—saying he would like to have him back at Barca, per El Mercurio (h/t Metro's Jamie Sanderson):

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I’d like Sanchez at any club I’m at. I know him a lot but I don’t know what reasons the club had to let him go, but now Sanchez is one of the best in the Premier League and is at a top level in world football. Sanchez is a great player, one of the world’s best in his position. I know him a lot, has an exquisite technique.

"

Suarez has failed to hit the heights he did for Liverpool last season, per WhoScored, but Barca still sit just one point behind La Liga-leading Real Madrid:

Whether the retention of Sanchez would have improved Luis Enrique's team this season is a moot point, but it did seem an odd sale in the summer—considering his 19 goals and 10 assists for the Blaugrana last term—and Arsenal are currently reaping the benefits.

A move back to Barca for Sanchez seems highly unlikely, but had Braida been at the Camp Nou in the summer, the Chile international would likely still be plying his trade with the Catalan giants.

Alvaro Barrientos/Associated Press

Having made a hugely successful summer purchase in 2014 with Sanchez's transfer, Arsene Wenger has been given a boost in the pursuit of a potential 2015 target, Porto's Jackson Martinez.

The Colombian forward has bagged 16 league goals so far this term, per WhoScored, but has recently admitted he will be leaving Porto come the season's end, per David Wright in the Express:

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In the summer I’ll leave Porto for a new team. Players develop well in Portugal, and I thank the club for making me the player I am today. However, it’s time for a new adventure, to grow from a professional point of view. Italy or England? Possibly, but I’m waiting for the summer. My agent deals with these things, and at the moment I don’t know what my future will be.

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The Gunners have long been linked with a move for the 28-year-old, and Wright reports his buyout clause as an affordable £27.5 million.

B/R UK's Matteo Bonetti believes Martinez will move to the Premier League in the summer despite interest from Serie A clubs Roma, Napoli and Juventus:

The Gunners will likely have to ward off the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham to get their man, but he would be a fine addition at the Emirates, bringing terrific physicality and finishing ability.

Arsenal have shown in recent summer windows—with the signings of Sanchez and Mesut Ozil—that they are prepared to splash the cash to bring in true quality, having previously had a reputation for frugality.

Martinez would be worthy of another significant outlay from Wenger and the Arsenal hierarchy and could move them closer to challenging for the Premier League title once again.