Arsene Wenger has revealed he would rather Alexis Sanchez run down the final 12 months of his contract and leave for nothing at the end of next season than sell him to one of their rivals this summer. Sanchez is still no closer to signing a contract extension despite the fact he has already rejected a new deal from the club and being chased by a number of Premier League clubs, including Chelsea. Arsenal have developed a history of selling their best players to their rivals but Wenger is keen to avoid another Robin van Persie situation and is even prepared to gamble on the fact Sanchez join one of the club’s for nothing in just over 12 months time. “If he doesn’t sign a new deal, will I make him stay? Yes,” The Guardian quote Wenger as saying. “Would I rather keep him than sell him to a Premier League rival? Yes. “I don’t think you would sell him to any Premier League club, that is for sure. Why not? The question is more why would you sell him to another Premier League club? You want to be as strong as you can be and not strengthen the other teams. “I think he will sign and stay because, first of all, he is happy here. His desire is to stay. That is what I deeply believe. The disagreements are purely contractual – not on the desire. Both parties have the desire to find an agreement, so I think it will happen.

The Gunners are also at risk of losing Mesut Ozil for free at the end of next season but would appear to have more chance of getting the Germany international to sign a contract extension after no realistic options stepped forward to declare a concrete interest in signing the creative midfielder in the summer. As for Sanchez, he has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season. In fact, only Eden Hazard (7.88) has secured a higher WhoScored rating than Sanchez (7.76) this season, having scored 19 goals and registered a further nine assists.