United will pay £13m to get rid of Sanchez
MANCHESTER UNITED are prepared to pay half of Alexis Sanchez’s mammoth £26million salary to secure him a move this summer.
The final decision over the Chilean’s future will be left to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but United are open to offloading the forward.
United chiefs are aware Sanchez’s £ 500,000- per- week wage, inclusive of bonuses, will prove a major stumbling block. So, it is understood they are resigned to paying as much as 50 per cent of the ex-Arsenal star’s wages to tempt another club to take him.
United’s preference is to sell Sanchez abroad as there is great reluctance to see him join a top-six Premier League rival.
Paying £13million a season for a player not even at the club is hardly an ideal scenario — but United realise slashing £250,000 a week from their wage bill would be a significant boost in terms of packages they can offer prospective signings.
United believe the best hope they have of moving Sanchez, 30, this summer is on loan. Such a deal would enable them to renegotiate an alternative exit route for Sanchez ahead of the 2020-21 season, particularly if the forward can recapture his best form elsewhere.
Sanchez has struggled since moving to Old Trafford, failing to recapture the form that led to United making such a massive financial commitment in 2018.
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER has told Manchester United’s players to report for a debriefing the day after the season finishes. United play Cardiff at old trafford a week on Sunday in their final game of 2018-19 and the squad would normally leave on holiday straight afterwards. However, Solskjaer wants the players back at their Carrington training ground thehe next day to discuss the dramatic slump since nce he was appointed permanent manager in March, h, and how they can put things right next season. the 46-year-old has already decided who should be sold this s summer and held a series of recruitment ent meetings with executive cutive vice-chairman Ed Woodward over transfer targets. Solskjaer is determined to raise standards throughout the club and wants to see a better attitude from many of his underperforming stars next season. In particular, he wants to improve the squad’s fitness levels after being shocked at the lack of stamina and intensity of the squad he inherited from Jose Mourinho. Fitness coaches Carlos lalin and Stefano Rapetti left the club when Mourinho was sacked in December. United also lost their highly-rated head of strength and conditioning, Gary Walker, in March and head of performance, tony Strudwick, at the end of last season. ththey have promoted academy fitness ccoach Charlie owen to work with the first team and may also bring in a more experienced figure tthis summer. Solskjaer cannot wait to put the squad through a rigorous pre-seasons programme because United are in the bottom three in the Premier league in terms of distance covered by players in matches for the past three seasons. ‘of course, the fitness levels are not good enough for me,’ said Solskjaer before Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea. ‘that’s why pre-season is going to be big for me and for all of us. When you are in the middle of a season, you can’t make too many drastic changes.’