WENGER BANKING ON LOVE-MATCH KEEPING SANCHEZ AT EMIRATES

ARSENE WENGER claims Alexis Sanchez loves Arsenal too much to run down his contract by going through the motions.

But Wenger cannot give any assurances the Gunners will make the “financial sacrifice” required to keep the striker at the Emirates.

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola’s interest in buying the 28-year-old Chilean Sanchez (above) refuses to go away.

Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere are among the players whose contracts expire at Arsenal in 2018. Wenger is weighing up whether to recommend the £350,000 a week it might take to keep hold of Sanchez to his board.

Until the stand-off is resolved, he remains convinced last season’s 30-goal top scorer cares too much about the club to down tools.

Sanchez will probably start tomorrow’s clash at Liverpool, and boss Wenger said: “Alexis wants to play – it is difficult for me to know about other individual cases.

“But sometimes players have been promised things that have not been kept.

“I can only tell you what happens here – Alexis works hard and he is focused to play.

“What is good is that our mutual interest is that he does well for us. On top of that I deeply feel he loves to be here and he loves the club. I think he will give his best until the last day he is here.

“At the end of the day my decision, which is purely sporting, is easy to make. I want him to stay.

“After that there is, of course, a lot of money involved as well and the club needs to make a financial sacrifice.”

So can Arsenal afford it? “I’ll let you know later,” replied Wenger with an enigmatic smile.

Also available to the Gunners again is defender Laurent Koscielny, who has completed the three-match ban which ruled him out of the FA Cup Final.