Arsenal contract rebel Alexis Sanchez 'clear' over future as Manchester City links persist

Contract rebel Alexis Sanchez admits he is "clear" on where he will be playing football in 2017-18, yet has refused to reveal that decision as doubts persist over his future at Arsenal. The Chile forward is entering the final 12 months of his current deal at the Emirates Stadium and it is looking increasingly doubtful that he will pen fresh terms.

Premier League rivals Manchester City are regarded as the clear favourites to sign Sanchez this summer in deal worth approximately £50m ($64.8m), with the player, who has also been linked with the likes of Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, said to be eager to reunite with former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

The 28-year-old is currently on international duty at the Confederations Cup in Russia, where he has captained Chile to a final clash with reigning world champions Germany on Sunday (2 July).

Speaking in advance of that fixture at Saint Petersburg's Krestovsky Stadium, Sanchez appeared to claim that his mind was made up and that the situation would likely be clarified after the tournament has finished.

"Good question," he was quoted as saying by Sky Sports after being asked if he could join La Roja teammate Claudio Bravo at City. "Right now I'm focused on the Confederations Cup. When this is finished I will see if I stay or if I go. I don't know."

When asked if he was clear where he would be playing next season, a chuckling Sanchez responded: "Yes it's clear but I can't tell you."

Bayern were previously considered as the most likely overseas suitor for Sanchez, with Arsenal understandably reluctant to offload their top performer to a domestic rival having previously allowed the likes of Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy to make similar moves.

However, club president Uli Hoeness recently hinted that the reigning Bundesliga champions had ended their interest by insisting that their transfer policy would continue to focus on youth following the signings of Corentin Tolisso, Niklas Sule and Serge Gnabry.

Bayern and Germany legend Oliver Kahn has cast further doubt on the move, stating that it is hard for the Bavarians to prise top players away from clubs that boast the necessary financial muscle to entice them into staying put.

"Of course [Sanchez is a target], but today in professional football, it's not very easy to get a big transfer - the so called 'grenade'," he told Omnisport. "That's the same for Bayern.

"It's not easy to get a new [Franck] Ribery or a new [Arjen] Robben, because other clubs don't necessarily have to sell their players because they have an enormous amount of money. They can make players stay at the club and that's what makes it more difficult for Bayern to buy top stars."