Chronicle EditorLONDON. — Manchester City and Arsenal were left red-faced on Thursday night after Alexis Sanchez’s £60m move to the Etihad collapsed.
The clubs had agreed a fee of £55m rising to £60m, with the Chilean poised to seal his dream move to the Etihad.
Sanchez had been poised to have a medical in Santiago, where he play was due to play for Chile on Thursday night. But the deal fell through at the 11th hour when the Gunners refused to sell after failing to land Thomas Lemar from Monaco as his replacement.
They were willing to spend up to £90m on Lemar in a bid to soothe the pain of losing Sanchez and appease fuming fans. But the 21-year-old French midfielder snubbed the chance of joining the Gunners to remain in Monaco instead.
Arsenal — who sold Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool – were forced to pull the plug on Sanchez’s move north and left both themselves and City with egg on their faces.
Etihad chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak refused to make an improved bid or include a player in the deal. — The Daily Star
Online Reporter