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Arsene Wenger

MANCHESTER. — Arsene Wenger says Manchester City ‘s deadline-day deal to land Alexis Sanchez “was not very close at all”.

The Arsenal manager’s claim comes as he insists the Chile striker will be “100 per cent” committed at the Emirates despite his move to City breaking down at the 11th hour .

Sanchez, currently on international duty, is said to be “devastated” the transfer was derailed. And Wenger’s insistence that it was a long way from happening is sure to raise eyebrows with City bosses who felt they were very close to getting their man.

Arsenal accepted a £55million bid on deadline day with the proviso they could bring in a replacement. Their last-gasp effort to land Monaco’s Thomas Lemar fell through, despite a £92m bid being accepted – though whether a deal of such magnitude, for a player who was away on international duty, was ever going to go through in the final hours of the window is debatable.

The upshot was City were denied a player Arsenal knew they had wanted for four months, yet Wenger told beIN Sports: “It was not very close.

“It’s very difficult for me to speak about that because what I want now is the player to focus on his career, on his season and on Arsenal football club. — Evening Standard