Arsene Wenger has denied reports that Alexis Sanchez has told him he wants to leave Arsenal.
Reports in Sanchez’s native Chile suggested that he had informed Gunners boss Wenger that he was keen to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer.
However, when asked at a press conference in Australia, where his side are spending part of their pre-season, Wenger insisted those reports were not accurate.
There has been much speculation about Sanchez’s future given that his contract is due to expire next year and he has not signed a new deal.
The forward has been linked with a number of clubs, including Chelsea and Manchester City, but Wenger has consistently stated that he will not be sold to a Premier League rival.
And Wenger appears to still be relaxed about Sanchez’s future.
He said: “We’ll see. The players have contracts and we expect them to respect that contract. That’s what we want.
“I think the easiest way to manage a player is in the final year of his contract. It is in his interest to do as well as he can.
“Nobody knows today if Sanchez will be on his final year of his contract next season, because he can extend his contract with us at the start of the season or during the season.
“So it is not necessarily the last year of his contract at Arsenal.”