Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has declared contract rebel Alexis Sanchez is not going anywhere to deal Manchester City a huge blow
The 28-year-old's contract at the Emirates expires next year, but the Gunners manager has vowed he will not be leaving North London
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MANCHESTER CITY have been warned that Arsenal will fight to keep Alexis Sanchez away from Premier League rivals.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has insisted the contract rebel will stay.
However in 2012 Wenger said another star striker Robin van Persie was going nowhere - just before he left for Manchester United.
This time Wenger said: “The players have contracts and we expect them to respect them.
“It is a continuation of what I said last season, that we wouldn’t sell him to a Premier League club.”
Wenger, speaking on the pre-season tour, confirmed Arsenal are in for Monaco winger Thomas Lemar, 21.
But he also says Sanchez, 28, is in his plans and could even sign a contract extension,
Wenger added: “Nobody knows today if he will be in the final year next season because he can extend the contract with us at the start or during the season.”
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The Gunners boss is also ready to keep Olivier Giroud despite the French striker being behind compatriot Alexandre Lacazette in the pecking order after his £52million move from Lyon.
Lacazette is set to make his Arsenal debut tomorrow against Sydney FC. The Gunners also play Western Sydney on Saturday then warm-up games in China.
Wenger said: “We extended Giroud’s contract last year. He’s been great value to the squad and always been very determined to stay.”
Barcelona will have to smash the world record fee for a right-back - the £28.5m they paid for Dani Alves in 2008, to get Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin.
Wenger risked more wrath from Arsenal fans by declaring his values mean more than trophies.
The Gunners boss is poised to splash out on Thomas Lemar days after smashing the club’s transfer record to sign Alexandre Lacazette.
Yet, just weeks after finally signing his controversial new two-year deal, the 67-year-old’s comments on silverware could spark more fan in-fighting.
He said: “You cannot live inside a club thinking we want to win the next trophy and if you don’t win it then you have lost.
“The club is something bigger than that and has a stronger basis than that.
“To do well of course means to win the Premier League, hopefully to win the Champions League as well. We want to win trophies.
“But, for me, a club is firstly about values and I think I stayed at Arsenal for a long time because the values I hold close to me.
“One is to win trophies but, more importantly, is to know who we are and what is important to us in the game.
“It is that basis which wins football games and that’s what I will do until the end of my career.”
That may not be what the Wenger Out brigade want to hear going into the Frenchman’s 22nd season in charge.
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And, after arriving Down Under for the club’s pre-season tour, Wenger warned that even spending a whopping £52.6million on Lacazette may not bring the success the fans demand.
He said: “The Premier League is highly competitive and there are six or seven teams who can win trophies. Every trophy is difficult to win.
“We want to fight for the Premier League and want to fight again for the FA Cup and, of course, the Europa League. But we have to prepare well and continue like we finished the end of last season when we won ten of our last 11 games.
“We want to continue like that and start in a very strong way.”
Monaco winger Lemar will cost the Gunners £50m-plus. But Wenger added: “There are two ways to improve.
“First, analyse what we did well and not so well and to improve that. The second way is to bring in some new players.”
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