For the last couple of weeks, the prevailing rumor has been that Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez will make his way to Manchester City before the end of the January transfer window. City boss Pep Guardiola has reportedly been keen on adding the dynamic Chilean to the mix, and Sanchez is ready to leave the Emirates with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.
However, might Guardiola’s intracity rival make a last-minute move to thwart his plans? On Thursday, Gianluca Di Marzio reported that Manchester United have gotten into the running to sign Alexis away from Arsenal. Jose Mourinho would certainly love to swoop in and steal Sanchez away from City, and they might just have enough capital to get a deal done.
Di Marzio says that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is an admirer of United midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Mkhitaryan has struggled to earn a consistent spot under Mourinho since coming to England from Borussia Dortmund prior to last season, so might United be willing to part with the Armenian in order to get a deal for Sanchez done?
If Arsenal are resigned to the fact that a new long-term deal with Alexis cannot get done, they should sell him to the highest bidder in the current window. City have plenty of talent they could potentially offer in return, but it may be difficult for Wenger to say no to a deal involving Mkhitaryan plus cash in exchange for Sanchez.
Even if United are able to pull off the shock move for Sanchez, City will remain heavy favorites to take home the Premier League title this season. City is understandably listed at about 1/100 to win the league at most sites, while United check in around 66/1. While profit potential on taking United to win the league at this point is obviously massive, betting on anyone other than City at this point would be a fool’s errand.
Would United’s odds this season improve if they’re able to land Sanchez? It’s not likely, but any move made during this window would be done with an eye on the future. City are too far out in front of the pack at this juncture. Now that some sites afford you the opportunity to use bitcoin for your sports betting needs, you’re better off saving that valuable cryptocurrency and using it to bet on the Red Devils next season.
City have reportedly offered about £20 million for Sanchez, but United are said to be willing to up that to £25 million. Sanchez previously played for Guardiola at Barcelona, but Mourinho seems interested in taking an axe to any plans of a reunion.
One potential roadblock to a deal between United and Arsenal is Mkhitaryan’s wages. Mkhitaryan reportedly earns about £200,000 a week, which may be a bit rich for Wenger’s blood.
It’s safe to say that Mourinho could use an attack-minded player like Sanchez in his side. United ranks third in the league with 45 goals scored on the season, but too often we see Mourinho’s side content to sit back and play for a draw, especially on the road.
Inserting Sanchez, who has scored 7 goals along with 3 assists in 17 Premier League starts for Arsenal this season, would bolster United’s attack immediately. The vast majority of United’s goals in the season have come from their forwards. Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have combined to bag 21 of United’s 45 tallies thus far.
Jesse Lingard leads the way with 7 strikes from midfield, though no other midfielder has more than 3 goals. Sanchez is capable of playing any position in attack, though he is arguably at his best when he’s flanking the attack down the wings.
