Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte has provided real reason the Premier League Club did not bother to battle for the signature of former Arsenal forward, Alexis Sanchez.
Conte said the club could not compete with the wages on offer from Manchester United.
The Chile international officially joined the Red Devils on Monday in a deal which saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan join Arsenal.
The Blues were linked with Sanchez when United were in the advanced stages of the transfer.
The Italian gaffer said the 29-year-old, who is now the highest-paid player in the Premier League, was always out of reach for the Premier League champions.
Conte told reporters, “We never were in this race. Ever.
“Especially because, I repeat, one of the reasons was this amount of salary. Only one or two clubs can pay this type of salary.
“Also, if you want a player, you are faced with this reality. ‘Now it’s not simple to think about doing this [finishing above United or City] because these big teams continue to improve and invest a lot of money.
“Then if you continue to have this type of gap, it’s not only here in England, these two big clubs can become seriously dangerous for other teams in the world.
“These two teams are very strong already and want to invest. ‘I think when you go in the transfer market you have to know that, if you want the best, you have to spend a lot of money. Otherwise you have to go in the middle and spend £20-30 million.”
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