Mourinho’s love and hate
Sanchez phenomenal but I feel contempt for Conte
Manchester City are prepared to walk away from a move to sign Alexis Sanchez after balking at the financial demands of the deal, even though that could pave the way for the Arsenal striker to join rivals Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho, the United manager, refused to rule out a move for Sanchez last night, describing the Chilean as a “phenomenal” footballer and claiming it was difficult to turn down the chance to sign players of that calibre when they became available.
Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, admitted for the first time yesterday that Sanchez would not extend his contract, which expires at the end of the season, and United have now emerged as a serious buyer for the player.
City are still thought to be the front-runners for Sanchez and believe his preference is to join them and play for Pep Guardiola, under whom he spent a season at Barcelona.
But City are reluctant to meet Arsenal’s £35 million asking price and foot ot the £5 million bill Sanchez’s ’s agent, Fernando Felicevich, is reputed to want for his part in the he deal.
That tally of £40 million is around double what City are willing to o pay for a 29-year-old who will l become a free agent in the summer. ummer.
A compromise mpromise fee of between n £25 million and
£30 million ion may still be the most likely outcome e but there remains a huge disparity at t present, a situation n that could open the door doo for United. City’s stance h has been influenced to some extent by the news that Ga Gabriel Jesus is likely to ret return to action in the nex next two to three weeks, according to Guard Guardiola, which has allev alleviated some of the club’s need to sign another striker thism this month.
It w was feared the Brazilian could be out until the end of next month af after damaging medial knee ligame ligaments in the New Year’s Eve fixture away to Crystal Palace. Yet af after Jesus made two visits to B Barcelona to see Dr Ramon Cu Cugat, Guardiola’s favoured specialist, the prognosis is far more optimistic, meaning City are feeling under far less pressure to buy.
City had initially planned to wait until the summer to sign Sanchez, fearing that dressing-room harmony might be disrupted, not least as his arrival would spark further doubts over the future of striker Sergio Aguero.
However, the situation is further complicated by Sanchez’s desire to leave Arsenal this month, which means that his future might not be decided until the final days of the transfer window. But City do not feel they have to act quickly and are adamant the demands will have to be lowered if a formal bid is to materialise.
Arsenal privately acknowledge that Sanchez will leave this month if a suitable offer is received but also want to sign a replacement before sanctioning the move.
Their top target is 20-year-old Brazilian winger Malcom, previously of interest to United, who plays for French club Bordeaux, and a bid is expected soon.
“It looks like Sanchez will not extend his contract,” Wenger said. “But we want to keep Jack [ Wilshere] and if we have an opportunity maybe to keep [Mesut] Ozil, the rebuild will be less deep than if all the three left.”
United famously beat City to the signing of Robin van Persie from Arsenal in 2012, and Mourinho, while he sought to choose his words carefully, did not deny his club’s interest in Sanchez.
“Sanchez is an Arsenal player, I don’t know, but probably this weekend, he is going to defend Arsenal colours so I don’t think it’s correct to say things about Alexis Sanchez,” he said.
“At the general level, what I can say is myself and the Manchester United board, owners, we don’t believe a lot in the January market. What we believe really is there are some players in the football world if you have the chance to sign them in January, March or July, you have to try and that’s it.
“But in relation to Alexis Sanchez, I don’t say a word, the only word I can say is he is a phenomenal player, apart from that, an Arsenal player, and I feel I shouldn’t say much more than this.”
It has been suggested that United are open to including Armenia playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan as a potential makeweight in any negotiations with Arsenal.
City’s £60 million bid for Sanchez collapsed on the final day of last summer’s transfer window after Arsenal failed to sign Monaco’s Thomas Lemar as his replacement. Arsenal remain interested in Lemar but do not expect Monaco to sanction a move this month. Lyon’s Nabil Fekir is also on their radar.
Wenger believes high-profile players leaving as free agents will become more common in the future because of the inflation in the transfer market.