SANCHEZ LIFT-OFF
He’ll finally join United as tearful Mkhitaryan agrees Arsenal deal
ALEXIS SANCHEZ will finally become a Manchester United player after Henrikh Mkhitaryan agreed to join Arsenal in a swap deal.
Mkhitaryan said a tearful farewell to his team-mates and club staff yesterday lunchtime as the final obstacle to United signing Sanchez was removed.
The Armenian’s switch has been holding up negotiations after his agent Mino Raiola warned that he could scupper the Sanchez deal.
But an hour after Jose Mourinho confirmed Mkhitaryan would be left out of United’s squad to face Burnley today, MailOnline revealed that the player had said an emotional goodbye after his final United training session. ‘It was very tearful,’ said a source. ‘Henrikh has been a very popular figure here at United.
‘We know he isn’t too happy with the way this deal has been forced upon him.
‘He realises he has more chance of playing at Arsenal, but he would have preferred to leave on his own terms.’
Just when the Sanchez saga finally seemed to be hurtling towards a conclusion, there was a further twist last night as
Sportsmail learned Arsene Wenger was giving serious consideration to including the forward in his match-day squad to face Crystal Palace today.
Wenger was mulling over naming Sanchez on the bench, and will make a decision this morning.
The Frenchman axed Sanchez from the Arsenal squad to face Bournemouth last Sunday because of his pending move.
Given the vast finances attached to the deal, Sanchez playing any part today could jeopardise a transfer if the Chilean is injured. But with three points at stake, Wenger could decide to have Sanchez on the bench as an option if the game isn’t going his way.
Danny Welbeck sustained an injury in training on Thursday and, with Mesut Ozil only returning to full training yesterday after an inflamed knee problem, Arsenal are short of attacking options.
Sanchez had been working with Arsenal’s development squad this week, but returned to senior training yesterday.
United will pay £35million for Sanchez — a £20m transfer fee to Arsenal and £15m to the player’s agent Fernando Felicevich. Sanchez will earn £350,000 a week plus an extra £100,000 a week for image rights over the course of a four-and-a-half-year contract. He will also receive £7.5m a year for four years as a signing-on fee.
Part of the reason Arsenal have agreed to sell the 29-year- old to United is because they wanted Mkhitaryan, who was linked with the Gunners before he joined United for £26m from Borussia Dortmund 18 months ago.
United’s valuation of Mkhitaryan is also £35m but negotiations over a straight swap have dragged on owing to the complexities of the deal. Mkhitaryan earns £140,000 a week at United and is set for an increase that will make him the highest earner at Arsenal.
Mourinho insisted yesterday that signing Sanchez in this window should not be interpreted as a panic buy or sign of weakness in his squad, and more a reflection of the player’s quality.
‘For me, the point of the January transfer window is to help the clubs that didn’t work well in the summer,’ said the United boss. ‘Because of that, we don’t like to do business in January because it shows that we didn’t give our best.
‘But if you have the chance to get some special players, some player that you could do (next) summer and you have the chance to do it now, that’s a special situation and you try to do it.
‘It is not the point of lacking something or we desperately need something. It is just thinking about the improvement of the team.’
United hijacked Sanchez’s proposed move to Manchester City after their rivals thought they had a deal in place with Arsenal to reunite the former Barcelona forward with Pep Guardiola. Chelsea and Liverpool are also believed to have expressed an interest in signing him.
City are thought to be unhappy that the terms of the agreement changed, and Guardiola confirmed yesterday that the Premier League leaders were not prepared to shatter their wage structure to accommodate Sanchez’s demands.
‘Normally we try to be stable with the wages of the players because I think it is good for the team and stability of the club,’ said the City manager.
‘I’ve never put pressure on a club when they believe it is too much. Immediately I accept that decision and move forward to find another solution. The stability of the club is the most important thing.’
Meanwhile, Mourinho confirmed that Michael Carrick has accepted an invitation to join United’s coaching staff at the end of the season. Carrick, who will be 37 in July, had minor heart surgery after feeling unwell following a Carabao Cup tie against Burton Albion in September.