The fact that Arsenal have yet to sanction the sale of Alexis Sanchez means they must be confident of keeping him, says Matt Upson.
The Chile international has entered the final year of his contract at Emirates Stadium, with an expiring deal having sparked exit talk for some time now.
Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are among those keen on a man who netted 30 times for the Gunners last season.
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No deal has been done, though, and Upson believes that could be because Sanchez has offered Arsenal hope that a compromise could be reached regarding his future.
The former Gunners defender told Radio 5Live: “I think, [by] moving on from him before it’s high and dry, there must still be something there.
“Arsene Wenger and the club are looking at it and thinking, ‘we can keep him at the club’.
“Nothing’s done yet.
“But, you just feel, the moment there is some action, and someone makes a hard push for him, it’s going to be very difficult for Arsenal to hold on to him.”
Wenger has admitted that he expects Sanchez to report for pre-season training on Sunday, having been offered an extended summer break on the back of his Confederations Cup exploits.
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The 28-year-old has, however, cast doubt over his presence at that session after taking to Instagram to reveal that he is feeling a little under the weather.
That post has done little to curb the exit rumours, with Sanchez’s commitment to Arsenal continuing to be called into question after seeing his head turned by talk of interest from afar.