Manchester City make opening bid for Alexis Sanchez

Premier League leaders Manchester City have reportedly make an opening bid to sign Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez this month.

The Citizens have pursued the Chile international since the summer, where they had a £55m offer rejected prior to the transfer deadline.

Initially, it had been suggested that the club could stall their pursuit until the end of the season, but it now appears that they could negotiate a mid-season deal for the attacker.

According to The Guardian, the Citizen have lodged an opening bid of £20m for the Chilean, but the approach is likely to be knocked back by the Gunners.

Arsene Wenger's side are said to value Sanchez at around £35m, and they are likely to prolong the decision until the dying stages of the transfer window with Paris Saint-Germain also deemed to be holding an interest.

Sanchez currently has less than six months left on his existing deal, and it is suggested that he has already finalised a wage package of around £250,000-a-week to join Manchester City this month.