Arsenal must break the bank to convince key man to stay

Arsenal are planning to break the £200,000-a-week barrier in order to keep Alexis Sanchez at the club, reports the Mail on Sunday. 

The Chilean has been a success at the club since joining from Barcelona in 2014 and Arsenal are keen to tie him down to a long-term deal. 

Manchester City and Juventus have been rumoured with moves for Alexis in recent weeks as they monitor the situation regarding his current deal at the Emirates Stadium. 

Both parties are thought to have been locked into negotiations since August, though all talks have failed to come to fruition, with Alexis at this point opting against extending his stay in north London. 

The 27-year-old’s current deal runs until 2018 and Arsenal are running the risk of losing their star man for cheap - or worse - free if he decides his future lies elsewhere. 

The Gunners currently sit nine points behind table toppers Chelsea and need to win on Sunday when they face Manchester City if they are to have any hope of overhauling their London neighbours at the summit of the Premier League. 

Alexis wants the club to match his ambitions and a failure to defeat City at the weekend could convince him to leave for pastures new.

Alexis has been in fine form for Arsenal this season, with his 12 league goals contributing to a WhoScored rating of 7.92, the second best return in England's top tier this term.

For more stats on Alexis Sanchez, click here to view his WhoScored player page