Rumors are out that Premier League giant Manchester United is preparing for a £50 million shock swoop for Arsenal's Alexis Sánchez when the transfer window re-opens this January to boost the Red Devils scoring up front behind Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial.

This kind of speculation truly puts a wooden stake in the heart of Arsenal fans as United is one of the team's biggest rivals for the English title this season.

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Yahoo Sports reported, citing Spanish gossip site Don Balon, that United boss Louis van Gaal "had contacted" the Chilean winger and "told him he would be a 'cornerstone' of his new Man Utd project".

Such claims would be huge for both sides especially now that Sánchez is playing in top form both for club and country.

The 26-year-old Chile international has six goals in 12 appearances for Arsene Wenger's side so far this season, while also being one of the key players of the reigning Copa America champions during the ongoing 2018 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

The report continued that "the starting price" for 5-foot-7 forward is supposedly £50 million, but Wenger had always been in denial of Sánchez's availability as a transfer target since last summer.

The Telegraph indicated that Wenger will expectedly do "all he can" to prevent the club from selling arguably his best scorer, especially to a major "Premier League rival" like Manchester United, as the Gunners are also reportedly looking for a new forward to complement him up front during this January transfer window.

In addition, the article also mentioned that Sánchez "recently bought a new house in London", which more likely indicates that the Tocopilla, Chila native intends to stay with the Emirates Stadium residents for the long term.

Meanwhile, Caught Offside noted that while "Sánchez has recorded double-digit" scoring numbers during his last four seasons with Arsenal and Barcelona, with the previous two seasons having more than 20 goals each, he is hitting the net at "a slightly lower rate" this year.

TagsFootball, Football 2015, Football Transfer, Football Transfer 2015, Football Transfer Rumors, Football Transfer Rumors 2015, Arsenal FC, Arsenal Transfer Rumors, Manchester United transfer rumors, Arsenal transfer, manchester united transfer, Alexis Sanchez