Vadim Vasilyev: Thomas Lemar and Fabinho could leave but no chance of signing Alexis Sanchez

ByPete Sharland

Updated 12/10/2017 at 20:24 GMT

Monaco’s vice-president, Vadim Vasilyev, has admitted that both Thomas Lemar and Fabinho could leave in the summer amid Premier League interest, but the club has no chance of signing Alexis Sanchez.

Monaco’s transfer policy has shifted from signing superstars to finding and developing young talent and over the summer they sold Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Benjamin Mendy while Kylian Mbappe joined PSG on loan.

Lemar was heavily linked with moves to Arsenal and Liverpool, while Manchester City and Manchester United reportedly wanted Fabinho.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Vasilyev confirmed the interest and admitted it is likely there could be a departure next summer.

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Thomas Lemar

Image credit: Getty Images

"Liverpool were really interested [in Lemar]," Vasilyev said. "But it was Arsenal that was really close to finalising the deal.

"It was quite close. At the same time it was just too late, not enough time, to really follow up on this deal. Not all the elements of the puzzle fell in place. I'm very happy he stayed with us. For us, we need a player like Thomas Lemar. He's very important to our team.

Definitely next summer will be something to look at, although you know in football there are no guarantees. We had some players who were supposed to leave this summer but didn't leave because of X, Y, Z. I think it would be fair to say Thomas will have a fair chance to exit next year.

"January, in football, never say never, but this is not what we're thinking of, this is really not in our plans.

Thomas Lemar

Image credit: Getty Images

"Then we have to wait and see, how the team does, in different competitions, if we have an interest in him, and also his ambitions after the World Cup. January doesn't seem like the right time for major changes in the team."

When asked about Fabinho, he said: "He's one of the key players in our squad, a very regular player.

“He's very important, we can always count on. We are very happy that we managed to keep him. I think this is one player you want to keep forever.

Fabinho

Image credit: Getty Images

"But we realise in Monaco we have a certain model, that at a certain moment when we feel it's right we have to let players go in order to be successful again. This is not only about money; this is more about being successful.

"Yes, that's the idea of course [that he will stay in January]. You never want to make any major changes in January, except something really extraordinary."

When asked about Sanchez, Vasilyev quickly played down any possibility of the Chilean arriving, adding: "He's a fantastic player but probably his salary is too much for us. I didn't check but I suspect it's too much for us."

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