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Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez not distracted by Manchester City and Bayern Munich transfer speculation

Juan Antonio Pizzi, Sanchez's national coach, believes the 28-year-old is coping well with the uncertainty over his future

Mark Critchley
Tuesday 27 June 2017 13:40 BST
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Alexis Sanchez has just one year remaining on his current contract at Arsenal
Alexis Sanchez has just one year remaining on his current contract at Arsenal (Getty)

Alexis Sanchez has not been distracted by the uncertainty surrounding his Arsenal future, according to Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi.

Sanchez, who is currently on international duty with his national team at the Confederations Cup in Russia, has one year remaining on his contract with the north London club and is yet to indicate whether he will sign an extension.

The 28-year-old has been consistently linked with European football’s elite, and the likes of Manchester City and Bayern Munich are thought to be monitoring his situation, but Pizzi believes such speculation is not troubling Chile’s talisman.

“We think Sanchez is very positive. He's giving his best, like everybody else. We think he's very happy," Pizzi said ahead of Chile’s semi-final against Portugal on Wednesday.

“I think everybody would like to be in a similar situation because the best clubs in the world would like to have him, although he is already playing for a great club.

“He's a very responsible person and he knows what he has to do. But right now, he is very comfortable and committed to the national team.”

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Marcelo Diaz, the Celta Vigo and Chile midfielder, echoed Pizzi’s sentiments by suggesting that doubts over Sanchez’s future are actually helping his international team-mate to 'grow'.

“I've said this a lot. Having Alexis on our team is amazing. He's played so well for so many years. He has so many qualities,” he said.

“I hope and think he will be able to keep developing and I think his personal situation will help him grow. It will be positive to Chile as we'll have a stronger player when we attack.”

Sanchez scored 30 goals in 51 appearances for Arsenal last season but could not help Arsène Wenger’s men secure a top-four Premier League finish and qualification for the Champions League.

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