Guardiola rejected Arsenal's proposal to include Sterling in swap for Sanchez

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola never considered parting ways with Raheem Sterling after Arsenal attempted to include the England international in a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez.

Arsene Wenger previously said that he was reluctant to part ways with Sanchez unless Arsenal was able to find a suitable replacement for the Chilean, who was linked with a lucrative transfer to City right up until the transfer deadline last week after apparently refusing to extend his contract with the north London club.

Ahead of Manchester City's match Saturday against Liverpool, Guardiola confirmed that Arsenal was eager to acquire Sterling, but the Spanish gaffer told reporters that he had no interest in severing ties with the 22-year-old.

"Arsenal wanted to make a swap with Raheem," he said. "They talk to me and I said no chance. Zero chance."

City reportedly launched a bid of £55 million plus add-ons and allegedly sent officials to Chile to complete the deal for Sanchez while he was on international duty. However, it's believed that Arsenal was holding out for a sum in the region of £65 million.

Meanwhile, a report from Matt Law of The Telegraph earlier this week suggested that Premier League rivals are convinced that City will offload Sterling in the near future as a result of the high-profile signings that were introduced this summer.

Yet, Guardiola's comments Friday suggest that his confidence in Sterling's ability to succeed at the Etihad Stadium is much stronger than previously believed.