Arsenal Transfer News: Fresh Rumours on Alexis Sanchez and Ivan Perisic

Inter Milan are ready to offer Ivan Perisic to Arsenal as part of a potential deal that’d see Alexis Sanchez head to the San Siro.

That’s according to Calciomercato.com (h/t Football Italia), where it’s claimed the Serie A side hope to gain an edge in their pursuit of the Chile international by offloading Perisic to the Gunners. Sanchez has been linked with an Arsenal exit frequently, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2018 and no progress made on an extension.

As well as Inter, Juventus are said to be keen on signing the forward, who has been in sensational form throughout the 2016-17 season.

Indeed, Arsenal fans are becoming increasingly concerned that Sanchez is on his way out of the club; Inter star and Chile international Gary Medel has also encouraged the 28-year-old to make the move to the Nerazzurri.

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“I don't know what his future will be, but if he asks for information on Inter, I'll say that here we have a great squad, a very good coach and directors who are hungry for victories,” Medel said of his compatriot, per Corriere dello Sport (h/t Joe Wright of Goal). “You won't find a project like this elsewhere.”

Losing Sanchez would be a massive blow to the Gunners, as he’s been at the crux of the team’s most effective attacking play this season. Per Daniel Storey of Football365, so often this term he’s been let down by team-mates:

At the moment, the forward is the joint-top scorer in the Premier League with Everton’s Romelu Lukaku on 17. But Sanchez brings so much more than goals to the team.

There’s not another player in the Premier League, never mind the Arsenal squad, who meshes intensity, intricacy and ingenuity quite as well as he does. Subsequently, it’d be no surprise if the forward was frustrated with a string of passive performances turned in by his team-mates in big games this season.

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If Arsenal were to cash in on their No. 7 in the summer, Perisic would potentially be a decent makeweight in any deal. As we can see here, there are some stylistic similarities to Sanchez:

While the Inter man doesn’t possess the same class or versatility as the Chilean, he works hard, is direct in his dribbling and very difficult for defenders to pin down. They’re attributes that’d likely see Perisic blossom in the Premier League.

As Squawka Football noted last month, the Croatia international has been a key attacking outlet for the Nerazzurri this season:

Inter have the financial muscle to be in the hunt for Sanchez, as they’re now backed by the Suning group. Nonetheless, it’d be a big surprise if this type of transfer was to go through.

After all, exchange deals are extremely rare in the modern game given the intricacies of moves. Additionally, Inter would surely be keen to keep hold of Perisic; while they will be ambitious in the summer, he’s still a crucial part of manager Stefano Pioli’s side.

It’s debatable whether Arsenal will sell Sanchez in any case. Manager Arsene Wenger has previously insisted the club won’t move the forward on before 2018, per Riath Al-Samarrai of the Daily Mail. But if Inter, Juventus or anyone else make a massive offer for the player in the summer, there’d surely be a big temptation to cash in.