Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal had no chance of keeping Sanchez

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that his side had no chance to keep Alexis Sanchez at the Emirates, given the Chilean's hefty wage demands. The Chile international is set to complete his switch to Manchester United in the next 24 hours with work-permit issues stalling a formal announcement.

Sanchez was heavily tipped to join Manchester City since the summer transfer window, but they eventually bowed out of the race after United agreed to pay a weekly package in excess of £350,000-a-week whilst offering him the iconic number 7 shirt.

"[It didn't affect] the other players, just the team. But it is fact that you have uncertainty in the group – that they don't know if he will be here or not. Once it is clear, the team gets used to it," Wenger is quoted as saying by the Telegraph.

"We did what we tried to do and went as far as we could. Even Manchester City moved out of it in the end. That tells you we had no chance to give him a contract."

Sanchez has already undergone a medical with the Mancunian giants, and it is now only a formality to make the announcement with the Chilean's photoshoot already being leaked on social media.

The 29-year-old's move to Old Trafford is likely to coincide with the arrival of Henrikh Mkhitaryan in a swap agreement, and the Armenian is similarly waiting for the necessary formalities to conclude.