Arsene Wenger: 'Arsenal can now compete financially with Manchester City'

Arsene Wenger has admitted that Arsenal are still financially weaker than Manchester City, but are now better positioned to compete with their rivals in the transfer market.

The Gunners lost a number of players to the Citizens over a five-year spell, including the likes of Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Adebayor.

Arsenal were unable to match City in terms of wages and transfer fees in the years between 2009 and 2014, but Wenger is adamant that the exodus of star players at their peak is now at an end, amid suggestions that both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez could be on their way next summer.

"City were good clients!" he told reporters ahead of this weekend's meeting between the two teams. "We are [in a stronger position now] because today I feel we can give financial satisfaction and support ambitions and values that can make the players happy at this club.

"Before, perhaps the financial gap was too big a difference to keep our players. We could not compete, we had to sell players. It has reduced but it is still there."

Sanchez is understood to have been offered £400,000 a week to join a Chinese Super League club, while Ozil is wanted by a number of European heavyweights.