Renato Sanches has hinted that Arsenal and AC Milan may be interested in signing him next year and claims that he feels ready to make the next big step in his career.
The 24-year-old has struggled to find consistent form since having sealed a big-money move to Bayern Munich back in 2016 when he was still a teenager.
Sanches spent time on loan to Swansea City in the Premier League before he was eventually sold to French side Lille in August 2019 for a fee of around €25m.
The Portugal international has struggled with a string of injury problems at Lille, hampering his ability to hold down a regular spot in the first team.
Last season, Sanches scored one goal and made three assists in 23 Ligue 1 games as Lille beat the likes of PSG to win the French league title.
Sanches impressed when he made four appearances for Portugal at Euro 2020 in the summer, and the midfielder now feels that he is ready to make the step up to a bigger club.
“When I arrived at Bayern, I was not ready to play in such a club,” Sanches said in an interview with L’Equipe. “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.”
The Portugal international then went on to mention Arsenal and AC Milan as two clubs that may potentially be interested in signing him.
“Maybe Milan and Arsenal are interested but I don’t know,” he continued. “I spoke with my agent, I know which clubs are calling and which are not, but I can’t tell now. I know I’m ready.
“If an offer comes in, I’ll find out what’s best for me.”
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta is currently preparing his Arsenal side for their home clash against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Gunners were thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool FC at Anfield at the weekend but the Gunners remain in fifth place and three points behind fourth-placed West Ham United as things stand.
Arteta spoke about the importance of his team responding to their loss on Merseyside quickly in the coming days.
“That’s what big and good teams do [bounce back quickly], and that’s what we have to do,” said Arteta on Saturday after the game.
“On Monday, we’ll start again, review the match, the things that we should have done better and understand the reason why we lost it. Then we’ll correct it and focus completely on Newcastle.”