Man City to make last-ditch Alexis bid as Arsenal prepare for player exodus

The Gunners have remained adamant all summer that they will not sell the Chile international but City are set to test the water late in the day

are set to test Arsenal's resolve with a last-ditch bid for forward Alexis Sanchez, Goal understands.

As reported by Goal all summer, City had been confident of bringing Alexis to the Etihad Stadium, but the Gunners have been steadfast in their insistence that the international is not for sale.

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Alexis has rejected the offer of a new deal at the Emirates Stadium with his current contract set to expire in the summer of 2018, and City remain hopeful the player's stance will lead to Arsenal eventually giving into his demands.

Should he leave north London, Alexis is likely to be one of many departures from Arsenal before the end of the transfer window.

Shkodran Mustafi's representatives are in as talks over a season-long loan move to have reached an advanced stage while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is keen to complete a move to .

Goal understands the Blues are set to make a final push to sign Oxlade-Chamberlain, but Arsenal have again been insistent that they will not allow the international to leave.

A fee in the region of £35 million, however, is likely to be agreed by Thursday's 23:00 BST deadline.

Lucas Perez’s wish to return to former club Deportivo La Coruna, meanwhile, could be fulfilled this week and the £17.5m signing will depart north London just a year after arriving from .

Despite the expected exodus, Jack Wilshere looks set to compete for a place in Arsenal's midfield after featuring for the Under-23s in recent weeks. While Wenger remains open to offers for the Englishman, the lack of interest in the 25-year-old is likely to see him stay until January at least.

Wenger's attempts to sign livewire Thomas Lemar have seen three bids rejected by the giants this summer, but with the news that Liverpool have made a club-record offer for the Frenchman , it remains to be seen whether the under-fire manager will enter a bidding war for the highly-rated 21-year-old.