Arturo Vidal has claimed that the press reports linking Chile teammate Alexis Sanchez with a switch between Arsenal and Manchester City on a deadline day were "made up".
Sanchez was right at the thick of the drama on Thursday, reportedly seeing a move to the Etihad Stadium collapse late on after the Gunners missed out on replacement attacker Thomas Lemar.
It has since emerged that the 28-year-old has apparently been left so unhappy that he is even considering going on strike, but Vidal is unsure whether the rumours have much substance as his close friend has been focused on Chile's meeting with Paraguay over the past 24 hours.
Asked if Sanchez had informed his teammates of an impending move to City, Vidal told reporters: "To whom? No, no, to nobody. Not to me. I don't think so. I think it was all made up because he was very focused on today's game."
Chile fell to a shock 3-0 loss at home to Paraguay on Thursday night, leaving them fourth in the qualifying standings with three games to go.
Daniel Lewis
