Pep Guardiola unsure over future bid for Alexis Sanchez

Pep Guardiola does not yet know if Manchester City will revive their attempts to sign Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez.

With Sanchez out of contract next summer it is thought City could move for the player again in January but Guardiola has now switched his focus away from player recruitment.

Speaking at a press conference to preview Saturday’s Premier League clash with Liverpool, Guardiola said: “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the wintertime or next season. He’s an Arsenal player.

“Of course we were interested in him (but) at the end Arsenal decided not to sell him. So, all the best for Alexis. I know him from Barcelona. And that’s all. Sometimes the deals work, sometimes not.”

There were rumours that Arsenal were interested in taking City forward Raheem Sterling in part-exchange for Sanchez but Guardiola insists that was never going to happen.

He said: “They talked to me and I said, ‘No chance, zero chance, not one per cent chance to make a swap with Alexis and Raz’. He is 22, English. He has a lot to improve (but) I trust a lot in him.

“The only deal, if possible, was cash. We tried to make an offer. They accepted but in the end they could not sign the player they wanted to sign, (so) Alexis stayed in Arsenal.”

City have found themselves under fire this week from Javier Tebas, the president of LaLiga. Tebas has accused the club, who spent more than £200million in the summer transfer window, of “financial doping” and urged UEFA to investigate them over potential Financial Fair Play breaches.

Europe’s governing body have dismissed that prospect and City are confident they are not even close to breaching the FFP threshold. Their willingness to spend even more money on Sanchez illustrates this.

Tebas was in Manchester this week at the Soccerex Global Convention and spoke to City chief executive Ferran Soriano during his visit.

Guardiola said: “I met him yesterday. I said hi. He spoke with Ferran. Ferran clarified UEFA don’t investigate Manchester City because we are in a good position.

“They worked together. I am sure Javier Tebas had some doubts but he was able to talk with him.”