Arsenal Transfer News: PSG Reportedly Confident of Signing Alexis Sanchez

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly becoming more and more confident they will be able to sign Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez this summer. The Chilean's contract with the Gunners expires in 2018, but Ligue 1 giants PSG could be set to make their move sooner.

Kaveh Solhekol of Sky Sports News revealed PSG's optimism about sealing a deal:

The subject of Sanchez's future in north London has become a thorny one recently. Under-pressure manager Arsene Wenger's decision to put Sanchez on the bench for Arsenal's 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday added extra verve to the debate.

Sanchez did come on as substitute in the second half, eventually playing in Danny Welbeck to score the Gunners' lone goal. However, subsequent reports have detailed how a row on the training ground influenced Wenger's decision not to start his best attacking player on Merseyside.

The Guardian's David Hytner revealed how Sanchez drew the ire of both his manager and team-mates in the build-up to the game with Liverpool: "Alexis Sanchez stormed out of an Arsenal training session last week and was involved in a dressing-room slanging match with some of his team-mates—which was, seemingly, part of the reason why Arsene Wenger dropped him from the starting XI at Liverpool on Saturday."

Hytner also named both PSG and Juventus as chief suitors for Arsenal's disgruntled 28-year-old forward. Juve are already said to have bid £25 million for Sanchez, per Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (h/t Aaron Flanagan of the Daily Mirror).

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It's an offer Arsenal may be willing to take for a player who will enter the final year of his contract this summer. The Gunners willingness to sell could be increased by the reported growing tension between Sanchez and members of the club, both on the playing and coaching levels.

Writing for the Daily Mirror, John Cross reported how Sanchez's attitude has become a growing destabilising force at the club: "But, behind the scenes, the Chilean has become incredibly difficult to manage—to the point that he has almost become the toughest player to handle in Wenger's 20 years in charge of Arsenal."

Cross went on to recount instances of Sanchez falling out with fellow Gunners players, in particular after Arsenal were thrashed 5-1 by Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League in February.

There is a feeling at Arsenal, according to Cross, that Sanchez has no desire to sign a new contract and has perhaps been chasing a bigger payday this season: "Arsenal have made an offer of around £180,000-a-week for a player who was quite poor last season, and the general feeling has been that he has been playing for a contract in the current campaign."

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Cross continued by pinpointing how Sanchez's behaviour has become a distraction and ultimately forced his beleaguered manager's hand:

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But insiders believe his levels have dropped in training, his disaffection and attitude is in serious danger of spreading to other members of the squad, and that is why Wenger has had to take action.

This, after all, is a player who gets angry about being substituted, demands to start every game and has even gone 48 hours after being hooked without uttering a word to Wenger.

It has, according to sources, become like managing a spoilt schoolchild.

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The growing impression seems to be Sanchez will quit the Gunners this summer. While he would undoubtedly be tough to replace, Wenger's bigger problem is what to do with the prolific Chile international between now and the end of the season.

With all the talk about Arsenal's future, with Wenger's status uncertain along with those of Sanchez and playmaker Mesut Ozil, it's easy to forget the Gunners still have plenty to play for this season.

Primarily, Wenger's men need to secure a top-four finish and a place in the UEFA Champions League next season. It's a task made harder by the loss at Liverpool, a result that dropped Arsenal to fifth, albeit having played a game less than the Reds.

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However, unlike in previous years, the Gunners are competing against some big clubs for a Champions League place. They are just a point ahead of Manchester United and find themselves relying on slips from Liverpool and in-form duo Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

Wenger's bigger issue is ensuring a struggling Arsenal side is equipped to win enough points of its own. Getting the points won't be easy when the club's fixtures list shows games against City, Man United and Everton at the Emirates Stadium, as well as away trips to take on Spurs, West Bromwich Albion and 2017 EFL Cup runners-up Southampton.

It's difficult to see how the Gunners are going to win these matches without the goals and creativity Sanchez provides. His absence would force Wenger into trusting a forward line comprised of some combination from Olivier Giroud, Welbeck, Theo Walcott and Lucas Perez.

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While they are all capable forwards, none can make decisive match-winning contributions as frequently as Sanchez. Wenger may be forced to declare a temporary truce with Sanchez in order to keep Arsenal relevant in a fraught race for a top-four finish, as well as the FA Cup, with the Gunners in the last eight of a tournament they have won twice in the last three years.

Getting Sanchez back in the right mood is important now, but beyond this season, his future looks increasingly likely to be away from north London. The more details of his dissatisfaction surface, the more interested clubs such as PSG are going to believe they can tempt Sanchez away in the summer.