Wenger will make Sanchez stay at Arsenal if new deal isn't signed

Amid fraught times at the Emirates Stadium, Arsene Wenger is standing firm when it comes to Alexis Sanchez's future.

On Tuesday, exactly two days after Wenger enjoyed a rare day of happiness as Arsenal defeated Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals, the French manager declared he'll force Sanchez to stay with the Gunners this summer if a new deal isn't agreed upon. Such a scenario would leave the club at risk of losing the Chilean attacker for nothing in 2018, but the tactician is optimistic the product of Cobreloa will put pen to paper.

"If he doesn't sign a new deal, will I make him stay?" Wenger asked, according to the Guardian's David Hytner. "Yes. Would I rather keep him than sell him to a Premier League rival? Yes. I don't think you would sell him to any Premier League club, that is for sure. Why not? The question is more why would you sell him to another Premier League club? You want to be as strong as you can be and not strengthen the other teams.

"I think he will sign and stay because, first of all, he is happy here. His desire is to stay. That is what I deeply believe. The disagreements are purely contractual - not on the desire. Both parties have the desire to find an agreement, so I think it will happen."

Sanchez, 28, is reportedly wanted by Chelsea, City, and other clubs in Europe. He joined Arsenal from Barcelona for an apparent transfer fee of around £30 million, and Wenger believes the initial cost of a transfer is gradually written off with each passing year.

Related - Sanchez: 'I'm happy in London and I want to finish my contract'

"You amortise a transfer during the length of the contract," Wenger said. "So, when you pay an amount of money and when the player signs a four-year contract, you deduct every year 25 percent of a contract. The problem that you have to analyse, always, is: 'Can you find better? For what kind of money? The inflation is so big that sometimes, even mathematically, there can be advantages to keep a player until the end of a contract."

Talks over Sanchez's contract have allegedly been put on hold until the end of the season.