Did Alexis Sanchez know something we didn't as he sat on Arsenal's bench on Sunday, a faint smile crossing his features as Liverpool thundered to a humiliating 4-0 victory at Anfield?
Perhaps the Chilean was already aware of the news that broke on Tuesday morning, that he could well be moving to Manchester City before the end of the summer transfer window.
The Daily Mirror reported on Tuesday that City will bid for Sanchez before the end of the window, which closes on August 31. The deal will not be cash alone, though. The report claims City will also throw in Raheem Sterling.
That may come as something of a surprise because Sterling has been one of City's best performers in this nascent Premier League season so far. The former Liverpool winger scored the goal that rescued City a draw against Everton at Etihad Stadium on August 21 and struck a late winner against Bournemouth on Saturday.
However, the Manchester Evening News reported on Tuesday that Sterling was the player most at risk of being cut from City's squad following a transfer window in which it signed Bernardo Silva, the A.S. Monaco winger.
Whether Sterling would be happy to move to Arsenal is another question entirely. Although the 22-year-old grew up in Wembley, northwest London, he would be making a transfer to a club that is at least on the surface in some kind of crisis. Arsenal sits 16th in the Premier League after three games, with two defeats already. Asked what went wrong during the latter of those losses, a 4-0 thumping by Liverpool on Sunday, manager Arsene Wenger replied, "Everything."
Sterling and Sanchez swapping places would, though, fit in with an unusual pattern that has developed within the Premier League this summer. Already Nemanja Matic has moved from Chelsea to Manchester United, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looks set for a transfer from Arsenal to Chelsea in the coming days.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Sportswriter at Newsweek.
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
