: Man United sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal on four-and-a-half-year deal
7 hours ago / StanLee
Manchester United have signed Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal, in a swap deal with midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Chile forward Sanchez, 29, who almost joined Manchester City last summer, has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal.
City decided earlier this month that they would not pursue their interest in him as they felt making him their best-paid player may affect team morale.
Mkhitaryan, 29, moves in the opposite direction to Sanchez after scoring 13 goals in 63 appearances for United.
The Armenia international moved to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund for £26.3m in July 2016.
He has made only 10 Premier League starts this season and it is understood there was a breakdown in trust with Mourinho, who has made Sanchez his first signing of the January transfer window.
PLAYER PROFILE
Alexis Sanchez began his career as a youth player for Cobreloa at age 17, completing a season at the club before relocating to Italy to play for Udinese in 2006. He won his first trophies in the following seasons, winning consecutive league titles in loans spells to Colo-Colo and River Plate. In 2008, he returned to Udinese, becoming an integral member of the team in his first full season at the club. After three fruitful seasons in Italy, Sanchez moved to Barcelona in a transfer worth €30m (£25m), becoming the most expensive Chilean player of all time.
In his first season at Barcelona, Sanchez starred in an attacking trio alongside Lionel Messi and David Villa, helping the club win the Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup. The trio scored a total of 82 goals the following season, as the club won the 2012–13 La Liga, as well as retaining the Spanish Super Cup, before Sanchez enjoyed his highest scoring return at the Blaugrana, ending the season with a total of 21 goals, and 14 assists. Following the high-profile arrival of Neymar in 2013, Sanchez transferred to Premier League side Arsenal in a deal worth €35.8m (£31.7m) a year later.
At Arsenal, Sanchez quickly established himself as the figurehead of the team, completing every season in England with double figures in both goals and assists. He also won the Community Shield, as well as the FA Cup on two occasions, scoring in both finals. In the 2016–17 season, Sanchez scored 30 goals and provided 14 assists, his best return as a professional footballer, while going onto being nominated for the FIFPro World XI.
Popularly dubbed "El Niño Maravilla" (The Wonder Child), Sanchez has been a full international for Chile since 2006, and has earned 119 caps, making him the team's joint most capped player of all-time, alongside goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. With 39 goals, he is the country's all-time leading goalscorer. He played in an instrumental role in allowing Chile to reach the final of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, while further leading the side to their first international victory at the 2015 Copa America, scoring the winning penalty in the final against Argentina. He later contributed to a repeat of this triumph, aiding in the side's retention of the trophy at the Copa America Centenario.