Arsene Wenger to turn to Celtic star Moussa Dembele if Alexis Sanchez leaves Arsenal this summer
Sanchez rocked Arsenal over the weekend when he said he wanted Champions League football
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ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger has identified Celtic star Moussa Dembele as a replacement for Alexis Sanchez, according to reports.
Contract rebel Sanchez shocked Gunners fans at the weekend when he said: "The idea is to play and win the Champions League. I’ve dreamt about it since I was a kid."
Arsenal manager Wenger had been hopeful of tying Sanchez down to a new deal.
Sanchez is not on pre-season tour with the rest of the squad, having been given a bigger break after the Confederations Cup, and Wenger has been in constant contact with the star.
The 28-year-old only has a year left on his deal and after the weekend's revelations, Wenger is now preparing for life without the forward.
Wenger will still offer Sanchez a bumper £275,000-week deal in a bid to keep him at the Emirates.
But knowing that he could lose Sanchez for nothing next summer, Wenger knows he will be losing out on up to £50million if he doesn't sell now.
Wenger will not sell to a Premier League rival, such as Manchester City or Chelsea, but Bayern Munich and Juventus have both been linked for the 30-goal star.
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Alexis Sanchez factfile
- Born in Tocopilla, Chile on December 19, 1988
- Began his career in Chilean club Cobreloa, breaking into the first-team after one year in 2005
- Signed for Italian club Udinese in 2006 and spent one season on loan at Colo-Colo in his home country, then another at Argentine club River Plate
- Signed for Barcleona in 2011 in a £23million deal
- Won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, Supercopa, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup during three seasons at the Nou Camp
- Signed for Arsenal in 2014 for £35million
- Won the FA Cup in 2015 and 2017, as well as the Community Shield in 2014 and 2015
- Claimed the Cop America Cup in 2015 and 2016
- Named PFA Fans' Player of the Year in 2015
And according to the , Wenger will look north of the border to the Celtic star.
Former Fulham star Dembele had a stunning year for Brendan Rodgers' Celtic, scoring 32 goals in all competitions to help the Glasgow side win another Scottish league and cup Double.
His stunning campaign included the first Old Firm hat-trick since 1966, in a 5-1 win against Rangers in September, and five Champions League goals.
The 21-year-old was also named in the Scottish Premiership team of the season.
Dembele was priced at £30m earlier this summer, but Celtic could demand more as he has three years left on his contract.
He has also been linked with West Ham, Chelsea and Marseille.
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