Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has reportedly identified his preferred replacement for Alexis Sanchez should stalling contract talks see the Chilean leave the club amid speculated interested from Juventus, Manchester City and others.
According to the Daily Mirror, Wenger has set his sights on Borussia Dortmund winger Marco Reus, a player who has long been linked with a move to the biggest names in England and Spain.
Sanchez has been a revelation since trading Barcelona for north London in the summer of 2014, but is thought to be asking for a new contract with a significant £70,000 increase on his weekly salary as well as having a release clause which would leave Arsenal vulnerable to future bids.
Should a time in the near future come where Sanchez is heading towards the door, Wenger appears ready to chase Reus, currently rated at around £30m despite his patchy injury history.
The 27-year-old Dortmund star has a stellar reputation as a top player, although he is yet to feature so far this season after a groin injury sidelined him for six months.
That lengthy layoff forced him to miss Germany's Euro 2016 campaign, having earlier cruelly missed the triumphant 2014 World Cup with an ankle problem, and his expected comeback against Bayern Munichthis weekend has now been delayed due to a heel issue.
The Mirror claims that Wenger is a 'huge fan' of Reus, while efforts have allegedly been made to sign him in the past. The last time the player's future came to a head, he took the opportunity to agree a new contract with Dortmund instead of pursuing a move. That deal runs to 2019.
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