Arsene Wenger says he believes Alexis Sanchez will give his best for Arsenal until the final day of his contract, but also that the board have the final say over his potential departure.

The manager has been strident all summer about his desire to keep the Chilean forward, but admits he could be overruled by majority shareholder Stan Kroenke if it came to the crunch.

Speaking about Alexis and his future, he said, “I think what is good is our mutual interest is that he does well for us.

“His interest is to do well, on top of that I deeply feel that he loves to be here and he loves the club and he arrives at a stage of 28, 29 and looks at the quality of his contract but I think he deeply loves to be here.

“I think he will give his best until the last day.”

Arsenal have sold big players in the past and Wenger says it’s a fact of life that he’d have to cope with if an offer came in that Kroenke chose to accept.

“I had to deal many times in my life with big departures, big players,” he said.

“If it happens you have to find a way to survive at the top level and to find a way to make the team efficient.

“You focus more on how the team can be strong enough. I have always been followed by the board, but the final say belongs to the board.”

So, if he’s sold, it seems clear that it’s on Kroenke.