Manchester United have reportedly entered the race for Barcelona and Chile winger Alexis Sanchez but they will face strong competition for Arsenal in the race to sign the 25-year-old Chilean.
Sanchez has been one of Chile’s stars so far at the World Cup, scoring against in their opening game against Australia and setting up Eduardo Vargas’ opener against Spain as the South Americans knocked the defending champions out of the competition and his performances have attracted a lot of interest around Europe.
The Daily Mail and the Mirror believe United are prepared to table a bid in the region of £22m for the Barcelona man, with Arsenal, who have been admirer of the Chilean since his time in Serie A, also monitoring the situation in the knowledge that the 25-year-old will probably prefer joining a club that can guarantee him Champions League football next season.
With United’s winger department certainly not offering an embarrassment of riches, Sanchez would represent a great signing for United, who have lacked a quick, goalscoring winger since a certain Portuguese left for Real Madrid. Furthermore, Sanchez’s tactical versatility is such that he can also be deployed as second striker, a role which he occupies for Chile.
Sanchez joined Barcelona from Udinese for €26m (£20.8m) in July 2011, after impressing during his three-year spell in Serie A, during which he scored 20 times in 95 league appearances. The Chilean hit the ground running at the Camp Nou, scoring 15 goals in all competitions in his first campaign and 11 in the following season, before scoring a career-best 21 goals in all competitions last season, despite suggestions that Neymar’s arrival would make things harder for him.
With Barcelona looking to finance a £80m move for Luis Suarez, Sanchez might have to leave the Camp Nou this summer, though he could be included in the Suarez deal as a make weight were Barcelona and Liverpool to opt for a player-plus-cash deal.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login