As the Arsenal saga ploughs on this season, London rivals Chelsea have decided to wade in on the situation and mix things up with interest in star man Alexis Sanchez.

Reports this week have suggested that the Chile international tops Antonio Conte’s list of summer targets handed to owner Roman Abramovich.

The former Barcelona man has been the main man for Arsene Wenger once again this season, however protracted negotiations over a contract extension have put his Arsenal future in doubt.

The 28-year-old’s current deal runs out at the end of next season and, with the club and player at loggerheads over his wage, talks have been put on hold until the end of the current campaign, along with any dealings over a new contract for fellow star Mesut Ozil.

With his future up in the air it is thought that the north Londoners could cut their losses this summer and sell as opposed to losing him on a free a year later, but they will demand upwards of £50m to accept any deal.

Sanchez is, of course, a fan favourite at The Emirates and his 22 goals in all competitions so far have been a light in an otherwise dark season for the supporters.

Whilst no fan will want to see their talisman leave this coming summer, the Chilean – while brilliant – is far from irreplaceable.

There are plenty of world class options out there who would still be more than interested in a move to Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus is just one name suggested as a replacement, thus in losing one star the fans in north London could quite easily gain another.

However, in order for the sale of Sanchez to go down smoothly with the fans Wenger must change tact from recent seasons and invest the money made from sales that same transfer window.

In years gone by the Frenchman has lost big players to those with bigger financial muscles around them in the Premier League and been forced to replace them on a tight budget, due to the financial restrains imposed by the move from Highbury.

However, with those problems now far behind them, the club are in the best position possible should they decide to sell their main man this summer.

There are few out there that would see selling Sanchez this summer as a good idea, however, it is something which could well become a reality. With that in mind, the powers that be at The Emirates will be working tirelessly to find an adequate replacement. Should they act quickly and find the right target, losing Sanchez may not be the problem it seems right now.