Arsene Wenger will refuse to sell Alexis Sanchez to Chelsea if the Premier League champions-elect move for the Chile forward in the summer as the chances of Arsenal selling their best players to their rivals is “not the case anymore”.

Arsenal have in the past allowed key players leave the club, with the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie among those who have gone on to greater things once they have left the Gunners.

The exodus came at a time when Arsenal were still paying off the debt incurred from building the Emirates Stadium, but with those repayments now completed, Arsenal find themselves as one of the strongest clubs financially in world football, which, Wenger believes, will help them keep hold of key players like Sanchez and Mesut Özil, both of whom are out of contract at the end of the 2017/18 season.

“It happened before when we had to sell our best players,” Wenger said at his pre-match press conference on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Premier League visit of Manchester City.

“But that’s not the case anymore. He has one and half years [left on his] contract. I don’t think it is an immediate concern for Arsenal.”

The Arsenal manager addressed an interview that Sanchez gave back in his homeland while on international duty this week in which he suggested that he is happy to run down his contract and leave the club on a free transfer. Links with Premier League rivals Chelsea quickly emerged from the interview, but a mistranslation appeared to suggest he was angling for a move to Stamford Bridge, something that he did not actually hint at.

Asked about the interview, Wenger reiterated his desire to see both him and Özil stay at the club, though neither are close to extending their current deals.

Arsenal power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Show all 10 1 /10 Arsenal power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Arsenal power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Impressed: 1/5 Alexis Sanchez: Even with the controversy over contracts and his apparent 'laugh' during the defeat to Bayern, Sanchez has shown why he is Arsenal's best player. He came on to assist Welbeck after he was benched at Anfield and his goal against West Bromwich Albion was the result of a player producing as much as he can in a team that struggles to reach the same standards. Getty Arsenal power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Impressed: 2/5 Theo Walcott: Walcott is still to reach the heights of Sanchez but the goal against Bayern at least brought hope that he could end the season strongly. If only he could score similar goals on a regular basis. The inconsistent winger was also the one to break the deadlock against Lincoln, but offered little against an organised West Brom. Getty Arsenal power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Impressed: 3/5 Aaron Ramsey: He missed the Liverpool game but with Ozil out the team Aaron Ramsey has had to handle the burden as the key passer for Arsenal, finding the space to move defence to attack, a solid performance and goal against Lincoln City showed promise. He had chances against West Brom he should have taken but overall the Welshman has been better than poor in March. Getty Arsenal power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Impressed: 4/5 Hector Bellerin: A stand-out performance against Lincoln made the difference for Bellerin, who constantly pressed forward to open up a rigid defence. Rumours of Barcelona being interested in the right-back indicate what a key player he is for the north Londoners. Getty Arsenal power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Impressed: 5/5 Danny Welbeck: The former Manchester United striker is still on his way back from injury, but the early signs have been encouraging. Even though his return is in its ‘don’t strain yourself or you'll be injured again’ stage, the goal against Liverpool showed he can rise to the occasion. Getty Arsenal power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Must improve: 1/5 Olivier Giroud: When Sanchez was dropped at Anfield, Giroud had the opportunity to establish himself as Arsenal’s frontman, yet he struggled against an average Liverpool defence. He could not provide any inspiration in the defeat to Bayern Munich, either and scored only once in the month's four games, against non-league Lincoln. Getty Arsenal power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Must improve: 2/5 Alex Iwobi: Iwobi burst onto the scene last year, with impressive performances in the Champions League and domestically, but the last few months have been a learning curve. The Nigeria international is struggling to sparkle in the final third as defences become more aware of to what to expect. Getty Arsenal power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Must improve: 3/5 Granit Xhaka: Xhaka has managed to quell his temper over recent weeks, but he is still struggling with the Premier League's physciality. Meek displays against Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion proved that the Switzerland international has a long summer in the gym ahead of him if he is to add bulk to his bite. GettyGetty Arsenal power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Must improve: 4/5 Shkodran Mustafi: The summer signing was injured in December and has struggled ever since the New Year. Laurent Koscielny arguably has not helped his partner's cause, getting himself sent off in the defeat to Bayern, but whether facing the skill of Arjen Robben or the physical prowess of Salomon Rondon, Mustafi has been left wanting. Getty Arsenal power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Must improve: 5/5 Francis Coquelin: The Frenchman was supposed to become the lynchpin of Arsenal’s midfield, but his breakthrough seems a distant memory now. After playing only 45 minutes at Liverpool, he was benched for the visits of Bayern Munich and Lincoln City and didn’t even feature in the defeat to West Bromwich Albion. Coquelin has clearly fallen down the pecking order and will struggle to work his way back up it. Getty

“Once you go into the final two or three months of the season, everybody is focused on the season,” Wenger added. “You give yourself a moment to relax. I personally believe both of them want to stay.

“I hope the club will find an agreement with them.”

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One criticism of Arsenal this season has been that the squad is not strong enough to challenge for the Premier League, with Wenger not having enough players of the quality of Sanchez and Özil at his disposal.

It’s something that the Arsenal manager actually appeared to agree with, as he confirmed that plans are already in place for this summer’s transfer window to try and strengthen the squad without losing their two best players.