Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez has reportedly been offered a chance to become the best-paid player in the world with a £500,000-a-week salary.
Former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini, currently in charge of Hebei China Fortune, is looking for a big-name addition to his squad and has publicly invited Sanchez to join him.
“If Alexis wants to come, we have a club for him right now. He can come to join us in China immediately,” he is quoted as saying by The Sun, who add that the £500,000-a-week offer is on the table for the Chilean international.
It wouldn’t be the first high-profile addition that the club make having already signed Gervinho and Ezequiel Lavezzi, and adding Sanchez to their squad would see them boast a feared attacking trident.
Lavezzi is said to be on £493,000-a-week, as per the report, and so there would seemingly be no issue with offering Sanchez even more as he continues to make Arsenal fans wait regarding his future.
The 27-year-old is under contract with the Gunners until 2018, but as negotiations continue, there will be growing concern at the Emirates over his long-term future at the club.
According to speculation, the main stumbling block is money, with reports on Friday suggesting that Arsenal are still £70,000-a-week short of what Sanchez is looking for.
However, despite the mega money on offer from China, it would be a major shock to see him move to the CSL at this stage of his career as he will surely want to win further silverware in Europe with the Premier League title and the Champions League at the top of his list.
No one knows Sanchez’s motivation and whether or not the big offer from China will turn his head for sure, but based on what he’s doing at Arsenal this season, it difficult to imagine him quitting Europe as he enters the peak years of his career.