Alexis Sanchez hints at Arsenal exit after saying he wants to 'play and win the Champions League'

Despite Arsene Wenger claiming the Chilean was going to stay, Alexis Sanchez's comments in an interview have suggested otherwise after expressing his desire to play and win Europe's elite competition.

The Alexis Sanchez transfer saga took another twist yesterday after the 28-year-old went on record to talk about his future at the club. 

Speaking to Chilean's premier sports radio station Radio Sport yesterday, Sanchez was quoted as saying: "I have made my decision, but now the decision has to be taken by Arsenal. It depends on them. I have to wait to know what they want. My idea is to play and win the Champions League. It's a dream I have had since I was little."

While the forward did not explicitly state his intentions to leave, his comments insinuated that he wants to join a top European club that constantly competes for the Champions League crown.  

Arsenal, while having consistently qualified for Europe's elite competition 19 seasons in a row before this past season, they have never quite been contenders for the crown in recent times. The North London club have not gone past the round of 16 stage since the 2009/10 season and with the club currently undergoing somewhat of a rebuilding process, they will not be contenders for the crown in the near future. 

Sanchez's interview might even suggest that he has already informed Arsenal of his decision to leave but Wenger now has to decide whether he wants to cash in on the player now or have Sanchez run down his contract till 2018 and risk losing him for free. 

Following Arsenal's pre-season match against Sydney Wanderers earlier this week, Wenger responded to questions about the Chilean's future by saying: "Of course [he will stay]. There is not a lot to resolve with the player. I have spoken through text and it was very positive."