Manchester City could walk away from a deal to sign Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez, with Jose Mourinho refusing to dismiss Manchester United's own interest in the Chilean.
Sanchez has been a long-time target for City but Press Association Sport understands the Premier League leaders feel the overall cost to sign the forward this month - including transfer fee, agent costs and wage demands - is currently too high and must come down.
City are not concerned if this stance opens up a route for another club, even arch-rivals Manchester United, to step in.
Sky Bet now make United 4/5 and City are on the drift, having been odds-on for some time. One way or another, it's expected that he will leave Arsenal although having been 11/2, they're now 11/4 to hold on to the Chilean until summer.
Sanchez has long been a target for City and they offered £60million for the 29-year-old, without success, last summer. They would now hope to do a deal for a fee of around £20million but are understood to have been quoted £35million.
City have been convinced of Sanchez's desire to work with his former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola again for some time but they were prepared to wait until his contract expires in June.
A knee injury suffered by Gabriel Jesus on New Year's Eve had the potential to change thinking and bring forward a potential deal, but the Brazilian's problem is not as bad as feared.
With assessments suggesting Jesus could be back in training within three weeks, City have no urgent need to bring in another forward this month.
City understand Sanchez is keen to leave the Emirates Stadium in the current transfer window but they will not be pressured into overpaying by the player's representatives, Arsenal or by the interest of any other club.
Jose Mourinho did little to quash any potential move from United when asked about their possible interest in Sanchez.
"I don't think it's correct to say things about Alexis Sanchez," he said.
"At the general level, what I can say is that myself and the Manchester United board, we don't believe a lot in the January market. We don't believe in signing players just to sign a player, just to do something. We don't believe in that.
"What we believe really is that there are some players in the football world, if you have a chance to sign them, it doesn't matter if it is in January, March or July you have to try.
"But in relation to Alexis Sanchez, I don't say a word. The only word I can say is the same word that everybody says, he's a phenomenal player.
"Apart from that, (he's an) Arsenal player, I feel I shouldn't say much more than this."