Source: Daily_Mail
Manchester City impact Cesc Fabregas switch to Barcelona with bid for Alexis Sanchez
ShareManchester City may have no chance of signing Cesc Fabregas yet their pursuit of Alexis Sanchez is having serious ramifications on the Arsenal captain's future. Udinese star Sanchez is the continent's most in-demand player with City rivalling Manchester United and Barcelona - the winger's preferred destination - for his signature. If Barcelona want to beat City to the player, they will have to eat into their fund for Fabregas.Despite saying earlier this week that a deal with the Catalan club was '80 per cent' done, Udinese president Gianpaolo Pozzo is now playing hardball with Barca over the fee after City upped the stakes with a superior bid. Hot pursuit: Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez are both wanted by Barcelona but hey can't afford bothPozzo also believes that the valuation of around ?35m for Fabregas makes Sanchez worth closer to ?45m, more than Barcelona - who had included youngster Jeffren in the deal - have agreed to pay.Jeffren himself looks set to move to England rather than Italy after the player's father, Efren, insists he will not play in Serie A and has opened the door for an English club to make their move.He said: 'Playing in Italy is not a good option for Jeffren. He has more attractive offers from Spain and England.'Pozzo has labelled Sanchez the 'best player of his generation' and is confident wherever he ends up will benefit from their purchase for at least a decade. 'The truth is that Manchester City are making an offer which is more generous than that from Barcelona,' he said. 'This is not going into a fight, but if Cesc is worth €40 million and Neymar and Sergio Aguero €45 million, I say Alexis Sanchez is worth €50 million.' Going home: Barcelona have opened the bidding at ?27m for Fabregas, an offer refused out of hand by ArsenalAlong with Fabregas and Sanchez, Barca continue to monitor the situation of Guiseppe Rossi, another forward expected to cost more than ?35m, as well as two defensive recruits. Yet they remain confident of raising at least that figure in player sales to cover that extra expenditure on the former Manchester United striker. With the right funds in place, there is certainly room for manoeuvre at the Camp Nou, although the club remain cautious after yet another injury hit campaign. The Spain midfielder, who has another four years remaining on his contract at the Emirates, has been dogged by injuries to both hamstrings in the past two years and the European champions are using the issue as a bargaining tool in a bid to drive down the price. Up in the air: Barcelona have several areas they want to strengthen despite another stellar campaignWorries over Fabregas' fitness are also shared by senior members of the Arsenal hierarchy, who feel another injury-blighted season for their captain could drive his price down even further.Pozzo has no such concerns about his star man whom he brought from Cobreloa for around ?1.6m in 2006.'If Barca want him, they have to pay his fair price, which is €50million. He is the piece missing in Guardiola's puzzle, a player who makes the difference.'You do not have to see it as an expensive transfer, since I am sure Madrid will not win anything next year if Barca sign him. I am sure this alone is enough to justify his price.'That is the math they should do, besides thinking they will be signing a rising star just 22 years old who will bring much joy for at least a decade.'He's the best player of his generation. He's like Cristiano Ronaldo when he was 22. We know when we have a diamond - Alexis Sanchez is one.' Arsenal snub ?27m Barcelona bid for midfielder FabregasArsenal back for Velez Sarsfield's Alvarez as Samba begs Blackburn not to block moveSamba entices Arsenal by telling Blackburn he wants to move to a bigger clubAll the latest Arsenal news, features and opinionAll the latest Manchester City news, features and opinion Explore more:People: Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Aguero, Cesc Fabregas Places: Madrid, Barcelona, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom