Lille star Renato Sanches admits Arsenal and Milan ‘may be interested’ in signing him and reveals he had reached an agreement to join Barcelona in the summer.
The Portuguese midfielder sees his contract expire in June 2023, and according to reports in Italy, Milan are in pole position to secure his services.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Sanches had snubbed a move to Arsenal, but the former Bayern Munich starlet mentions the Gunners as one of if possible destinations.
“Maybe Milan and Arsenal are interested but I don’t know,” Sanches told L’Equipe.
“Milan are a big and historic club. It’s class, I like them.
“I spoke with my agent, I know which clubs are calling and which are not, but I can’t tell now. But I know I’m ready. If an offer comes in, I’ll find out what’s best for me.
“When I arrived at Bayern Munich, I was not ready to play in such a club,” he continued.
“I was very young. And when I got ready, the opportunity to play with this team never came.
“Today I feel ready. I understand football better, I have more experience, I know what to do to play in this kind of club and that changes everything.”
Sanches could have joined Barcelona over the summer, but an injury prevented him from moving to the Nou Camp.
“Many clubs were interested this summer, when I sustained the injury, I understood that I would have stayed at Lille.
“It was all done with Barcelona, I think it all collapsed because of the injury.”
Sanches, 24, joined Lille from Bayern Munich in a €20m deal in 2019. He had signed for the Bavarians in 2016, completing a €35m move.
He was considered one of the most promising midfielders of his generation, but Sanches failed to live up to expectations at the Allianz Arena, playing 53 games over three and a half seasons.
#LOSC : « Sans la blessure, je partais cet été ! », estime Renato Sanches #RenatoSanches #Lille #Football https://t.co/rBjFjXXRRS pic.twitter.com/RETFOEpaOQ
— VDN Lille (@VDNLille) November 22, 2021
Free agent? He has a contract until 2023.