Man U set for Sanchez swoop

London, Jan. 16: Jose Mourinho said on Monday that it would be “great” if Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez became a Manchester United player as Manchester City’s interest in the Chilean reportedly came to an end.

Sanchez, 29, looks to have played his last game for Arsenal, with manager Arsene Wenger saying on Sunday that his move could be confirmed “in the next 48 hours”.

A layer of uncertainty as to whether he would opt for the blue or red half of Manchester appeared to end on Monday when, with United en route to a 3- 0 home win over Stoke, City let it be known they were no longer interested in signing the forward, although there were reports that Chelsea might enter the bidding.

Mourinho, speaking after second- placed United had reduced Premier League table- toppers City’s lead to 12 points, was wary when it was suggested to him that Sanchez was on his way to Old Trafford.

“No news on Alexis Sanchez, he is an Arsenal player,” he told the BBC. “If he stays it’s great for Arsenal, if he comes to us, great for us, if he goes to another club, great for them,” he added.

The United manager, in a subsequent interview with Sky Sports said, “I’ve no idea. Today I was completely separate from all of that — I was just focused on my match and not worried about anything else.”

“I’m not going to speak about hypothetical situations. Probably there are other clubs also interested and trying and I shouldn’t talk about a player who is an Arsenal player,” he added.