The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Jose calm over Sanchez move
Chilean’s Old Trafford switch still on hold – but Mourinho stays relaxed
Jose Mourinho claims he is calm over Alexis Sanchez’s proposed move to Manchester United and confirmed Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not feature at Burnley today while negotiations continue.
United were unable to complete the formalities of Sanchez’s switch from Arsenal by the midday deadline yesterday in order for him to be available to make his debut at Turf Moor.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said on Thursday it was “likely” Sanchez would be a United player within 24 hours, yet Mourinho insists he is relaxed over a proposed deal that could see midfielder Mkhitaryan move in the opposite direction.
On the latest with Sanchez, Mourinho said: “Nothing new, I think clearly everybody knows that we are there and especially when Arsenal’s manager speaks so clearly like he did there is no point in trying to hide or to deny.
“But (it’s) not done, not done at all, so in this moment Mkhitaryan’s our player, Sanchez’s an Arsenal player and with a match tomorrow I want to switch off and focus what is the most important thing, which is the match.”
Asked if the deal was dependant on Mkhitaryan moving to north London as well, Mourinho replied: “I don’t know.
“Sometimes people think transfers involve a lot the managers in the negotiations, I think it depends on the profile of the club, on the way we establish our jobs and in my case when it goes to the table of negotiations I like to be out, I am out and I will just calmly wait for news, no more than that.”
Mkhitaryan was left out of the United squad that faced Stoke on Monday due to the uncertainty over his future and Mourinho confirmed he would be absent at Burnley too.
“No, not selected,” he added. “But in very good condition, training really well and in good conditions like the others.”
Both Mkhitaryan and Sanchez trained with their respective sides yesterday and Wenger confirmed the latter could be involved for Arsenal against Crystal Palace today should any move not materialise beforehand.
Meanwhile Pep Guardiola has offered his congratulations to United as they close in on the signing of Sanchez.
City ended their high-profile attempts to bring the Chile forward to the Etihad Stadium this week, clearing the way for United to move in.
Premier League leaders City, who went close to landing Sanchez in a £60 million deal last summer, felt the costs of a potential deal had risen too high.
Guardiola – who revealed that midfielder Fernandinho had signed a two-year contract extension through to 2020 – said: “I’m not the guy with the mathematics, with the numbers. What I know now is he is still Arsenal’s player, but I think he is going to go to United.
“So, congratulations for both of them. The players and their managers (agents) decide where they want to play. Good luck.”
It is understood City were confident that Sanchez wished to play for them but his desire to leave Arsenal this month rather than in the summer, and the sums offered by United, changed the picture.
Asked further if he felt let down by the player, whom he worked with at Barcelona, Guardiola said: “I repeat the same. The players and their managers decide what’s best for both of them. There’s nothing to add.
“My opinion of Alexis remains the same. It was a pleasure to be with him at Barcelona. He has decided to move on to another club and I wish him all the best.”
City, who lead United by 12 points, host Newcastle tonight.
● The Premier League will mark the death of Cyrille Regis with a minute of applause and the wearing of black armbands at this weekend’s matches.
The former West Brom, Coventry and Villa star, who also played five times for England, died on Sunday of a suspected heart attack at the age of 59.
● Brighton have completed the clubrecord signing of striker Jurgen Locadia from PSV Eindhoven.
The 24-year-old has signed a deal until June 2022 after Albion reportedly paid £14 million to end Chris Hughton’s search for a new forward.
● Robin van Persie has agreed to rejoin his first club Feyenoord after 14 years away.
The 34-year-old Dutch striker, best known for spells with Arsenal and Manchester United, is to terminate his deal with Turkish club Fenerbahce.
Van Persie has been in Turkey since leaving Old Trafford in 2015.