When it was revealed on Thursday afternoon that Arsenal had accepted a £60 million offer from Manchester City, it seemed inevitable that Alexis Sanchez would leave the Emirates Stadium before the transfer window closed hours later.

The Chile international made it patently clear to the Gunners that he wanted to leave the club and wouldn’t be extending his contract, which expires next summer.

Alexis was reportedly desperate to reunite with Pep Guardiola - the pair worked together at Barcelona - and saw Man City as the ideal club to win major honours following three frustrating seasons with Arsenal.

Reports in Chile - per The Sun - claimed that Sanchez’s international colleagues all “cheered and congratulated” the 28-year-old after news of his impending transfer to City came through.

Alexis, who must have thought his move to the Etihad was a done deal, is currently with the Chile squad for their 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Bolivia.

However, the transfer failed to materialise after Arsenal failed to sign a replacement.

The north London outfit made a £92 million bid for AS Monaco midfielder Thomas Lemar, who scored twice for France against the Netherlands on Thursday night, because he preferred a move to Liverpool and wanted Champions League football.

Lemar’s decision ended Sanchez’s hopes of signing for City this summer.

At the time of writing, we’re yet to hear anything from the world-class South American forward.

How Sanchez reacted when his move to City collapsed

However, according to the Mirror, Sanchez was left “devastated” by the news.

The Telegraph meanwhile, claim Arsenal’s No. 7 was “left dismayed by the situation”.

They add that Wenger now “faces a battle” to get the unsettled Chilean back on side.

Will we see the same Alexis after the international break?

Indeed, it’s hard to imagine Sanchez returning to Arsenal with a spring in his step after the international break.

You have to wonder whether we’ll see the same motivated, committed player over the coming weeks and months.

Have Arsenal made a mistake by failing to cash-in on Alexis Sanchez? Have your say by leaving a comment below.