Ballon d’or World Coach Finalist Linked with Chelsea, Will Join the Club Only if They Bring Alexis Sanchez

Media outlets are running the news today that prospective Chelsea coach Jorge Sampaoli has informed the club that he will only join them if they bring Arsenal superstar Alexis Sanchez to Stamford Bridge.

Sampaoli is currently the manager of the Chilean national team, but has been linked with a move to Chelsea and AS Roma. Spanish publication Don Balon claims that the West London club are looking at a possibility of bringing the Gunners star to Stamford Bridge in order to convince Sampaoli to join the club in the summer.

Alexis Sanchez signed for the Gunners from Barcelona in the summer of 2014 for a transfer fee of around £35 million and hit the ground running in his first season in Premier League. He scored 25 goals in all competitions in his debut season in English football.

The amount of money needed to sign the Chilean wouldn’t be a problem for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, but it’s highly unlikely that Arsene Wenger will let one of his stars join the direct rivals.

Meanwhile, Sampaoli’s relationship with the Chilean FA has recently gone sour, and he is eager to leave his job. He said: “In this environment I would not want to work or live in the country. I never imagined in such little time the image of an idol who gave a lot to Chilean football could be destroyed.”

“I am frankly disappointed and in these conditions, I cannot keep leading the team when my mind is elsewhere.”

He also denied holding talks with AS Roma today at Ballon d’Or ceremony: “No, I haven’t had any contact,” Sampaoli told SportMediaset. “They’re a great team, anyone would like to coach them, but I haven’t formally spoken to anyone.”

The Argentina-born manager led the Chile national team to their first Copa America title in 2015. Prior to this job, he has managed clubs in Peru, Ecuador and Chile.