Alexis Sánchez could be in contention to appear in Arsenal’s Community Shield clash against Chelsea on Sunday after returning to training.

The forward’s participation in the club’s pre-season preparations had been delayed, first by him representing Chile at the Confederations Cup and more recently by illness.

His future also remains the subject of uncertainty amid consistent reports linking him with a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Bayern Munich or Chelsea.

The Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, had previously said Sánchez would return to training last Sunday, but after apparently recovering from illness, the 28-year-old posted an image of his progress. Having earlier posted a picture of his arrival in London, next to a photo on social media of him running, he wrote: “Back to training.”

Back in London! ⚽️💪🏼🇬🇧 A post shared by Alexis Sanchez (@alexis_officia1) on Aug 1, 2017 at 2:50am PDT

His potential availability would be a significant boost to Wenger, who remains adamant Sánchez will not leave the club this summer, despite entering the final year of his contract. It would also represent the first opportunity to test him alongside club-record £46.5m signing Alexandre Lacazette.