Manchester United’s transfer charge this summer could see them eye a move closer to home, with a sensational report being reported in South America.
As reported by Metro, Chile’s ‘El Show de Prensafutbol’ claims that Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has contacted Alexis Sanchez over the phone to try and persuade the 28-year-old to move to Old Trafford this summer.
Two-time Copa America winner Alexis is facing an uncertain future in North London, as he rapidly approaches the final 12 months of his contract with no progress of an extension being made- and reports widely suggest he’ll move on this summer.
Whilst there is a wealth of interest in the Premier League, Arsenal would naturally prefer to sell their star-man to a side elsewhere in Europe- although that could be difficult if Alexis decides he wants to stay within English football.
How likely is a deal?
As mentioned, Arsenal will be determined not to sell to a direct rival and will likely block any move for Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United. On top of that though, it’s difficult to see where exactly Alexis Sanchez would fit-in at Old Trafford.
Mourinho’s side already boast the talents of Anthony Martial, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard out wide, whilst Marcus Rashford has often been deployed on the wings this season and the Red Devils have been heavily linked with a move for Antoine Griezmann, who could also be deployed out-wide if United stick with their current formation.
Money is not a problem for the Red Devils though and Arsenal would likely earn a club-record sum for the sale of Alexis Sanchez, although it may not be worth it if the South American starlet was to wear the colours of United on a weekly basis.
Who else is keen?
The report also mentions interest from Manchester City, as it states Pep Guardiola has also held talks with Alexis Sanchez. On top of that, Chelsea are also heavily interested in the services of the South American- but Arsenal will still attempt to block any transfer to a Premier League rival.
Elsewhere in Europe, Serie A leaders Juventus are keen on bringing the former Udinese man back to Italian football, whilst oil-rich Paris Saint-Germain want to make the Chilean their star signing- having failed to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic last summer.
There has also been talk of a potential move to Bayern Munich, where Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are approaching the end of their careers, whilst a reunion with Jorge Sampaoli at Sevilla has also been mentioned- although the former Chile boss is unlikely to remain at the Andalusian side for too long, having been linked with Barcelona.