Sanchez back in Arsenal training with a smile

Alexis Sanchez returned to training with Arsenal on Tuesday as speculation continues to swirl over the Chile star’s future.

Sanchez was granted additional leave by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger after helping Chile to the final of the Confederations Cup, where they were beaten 1-0 by world champions Germany.

He became his country’s all-time leading goalscorer during the tournament but events on the field sometimes felt like a sideshow amid mounting rumours the 28-year-old was keen on a reunion with his former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

Sanchez is out of contract at the end of this season and Wenger has suggested he is happy for the forward and playmaker Mesut Ozil to proceed without signing new deals.

Paris Saint-Germain are also reported to hold an interest in Sanchez, although it is one seemingly secondary to their world-record pursuit of Barcelona superstar Neymar.

“It is an ideal situation – everyone has to perform,” Wenger said.

“In the future you will see that more and more, players going to the end of their contract. Why? Because transfers become so high, even for normal players, they will go to the end of the contract because no one will want to pay the amount of money that is demanded.

“I am convinced that in the next 10 years that will become usual.”

Illness resulted in a further extension to Sanchez’s lay-off over the weekend as he sat out Arsenal’s 5-2 Emirates Cup win over Benfica on Saturday, but he was all smiles on a training picture that the Premier League published on their official Twitter account.

Arsenal open the Premier League season at home to Leicester City on August 11.