Sanchez: 'I want to play in Champions League'

The Alexis Sanchez soap opera is a gift that keeps on giving.

That is, unless you're an Arsenal supporter anxious at the prospects of losing the club's tireless attacker, and if that is the case, the Chilean international's latest comments will do little to quell said nerves.

Speaking to reporters while on an extended summer break in his hometown of Tocopilla, the 28-year-old was asked about the year left on his current Arsenal deal and reports of a high-profile switch to Premier League rival Manchester City.

"I want to play in the Champions League," Sanchez said, courtesy of the Evening Standard. "The decision isn't up to me, I need to wait for Arsenal."

With reports suggesting that the north London lot have offered Sanchez a lucrative new deal in the neighbourhood of £300,000-a-week, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has recently conceded that he's confident the 24-goal man will stick around. "I have spoken through text and it was very positive. My thoughts are always positive," the French gaffer offered whilst in Australia this week for a pair of pre-season tilts.

Wenger has also said he will not sell Sanchez to a rival, and worst-case scenario, the club is willing to let him see out his current deal and leave on a free transfer next summer.

It would appear that the Frenchman's positivity may be unfounded, especially since Arsenal's failure to qualify for Europe's top-tier tournament for the first time in Wenger's two-decade tenure clashes with Sanchez's ambitions.

"I've made my decision, now I wait for Arsenal's reply. The idea is to play and win the Champions League. I've dreamt about it since I was little," Sanchez added.

"For now I am at Arsenal and I finish my contract in one more year."