London - Arsene
Wenger said Friday there is nothing "concrete" on Alexis
Sanchez's future despite reported interest from both Manchester clubs
but stated he will only be sold this month if Arsenal can find a replacement.
Sanchez, out of
contract at the end of the season, is expected to leave the north London club
during the transfer window with young Bordeaux forward Malcom linked with a
move to the Emirates.
Pep Guardiola's bid to
buy Sanchez collapsed at the end of the summer transfer window and City were
widely expected to make another move for the Chile forward.
But Jose Mourinho's
United have reportedly thrown their hat into the ring, bidding around £25
million to trump City's £20 million offer as they seek to bolster their forward
options and deny their bitter rivals.
When asked if United
were interested in signing the player, Wenger said "nothing is really
concrete at the moment".
Questioned as to
whether there was any truth in the rumour, the Arsenal manager was coy.
"You conclude
that," he said. "You could say that at the moment... it's not that I
don't want to inform you, I don't want to give you wrong information and at the
moment I must say nothing is decided one way or the other."
Wenger admitted a
bidding war could help Arsenal but said that was not the current situation.
The Arsenal boss,
whose side travel to Bournemouth on Sunday, said Sanchez would only be allowed
to leave if they could get a new signing over the line.
"Of course, I
want a quick resolution," he told reporters at Arsenal's north London
training base.
"Is he (Sanchez)
replaceable in the way that we find exactly the same player? Certainly not, but
there's always a way to find a different balance.
"Alexis is an
exceptional football player, he's a world-class player and if that happens (and
he leaves) we have to find a different balance in the team."
Theo Walcott is
another Arsenal player poised to leave this month, with Everton manager Sam
Allardyce revealing on Friday that they are hopeful of sealing a permanent
deal.
Wenger said he does
not want the 28-year-old to leave, but conceded he cannot guarantee the forward
playing time and an unlikely route into Gareth Southgate's England squad for
the World Cup.
"Sam Allardyce
has made that statement but Theo Walcott is here," Wenger added.
"I have a good
relationship with Theo and I don't want him to be frustrated or lose an
opportunity to go to the World Cup."