Arsene Wenger identifies Alexis Sanchez replacement should Chilean not renew deal

And so it begins.

The very public spin and counter-spin surrounding a high-profile footballer's contract negotiations always make for an intriguing if somewhat predictable reading. The player is attracting firm interest from this club and that; the player's club are holding firm and looking at contingencies. In Alexis Sanchez's case, he seems very happy at Arsenal. He is currently enjoying the best form of his Emirates' stint, and is very settled and content in London. But the marksman's current deal is up in 2018, and that means we're into the two-year period of will-he-or-won't-he silliness. The Chilean wants over £200,000 a week, which seems fair enough considering his immense talents, but apparently Arsenal are less than keen to fork out quite so much. In fact the latest story is that they're already looking at potential Plan Bs should Sanchez not end up committing. The replacement in question is Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus, who is of course a very fine talent indeed. The Daily Mail report that Wenger has identified the German international as his number one target should Sanchez leave, and an extremely apt replacement he would be. The one major snag (apart from Dortmund's feelings on the matter) is that Reus, for all his wonderful technique and creativity, would surely demand a king's ransom himself - plus a hefty transfer fee - and is only a year Alexis' junior. Perhaps just give Sanchez his money and let's all move on.