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Why Manchester United must go all out to steal Alexis Sanchez away from Manchester City
In the midst of💎 winter, things are starꦬting to heat up.
It seemed for all the world that Manchester City were finally going to get their man in the January transfer window a💝fter missing out on Arsenal talisman Alexis 🅘Sanchez on deadline day in late August.
On that occasion they offered £60 million to lure the Chilean to the Etihad, only to see their offer rebuff🧸ed by the Gunners after Arsene Wenger of replacement Thomas Lemar.
Instead, it seemed inevitable that Pep Guardiola would finally persuade Arsenal into selling once January came around, a feeling that has grown due to a lack of contract negotiations b🌟etween Sanchez and his current Club – although it m🦩ay not be as straightforward a move as first seemed.
Quite sensational reports from around the globe over the past two days have now suggested that City’s bitter rivals Manchester United are also in the race to sign the soon to be out-of-contract Arsenal🍷 forward.
were the ones that broke the news on Thursday, claiming that Unꩲited have now entered advanced talks with Sanchez’s agent ahead of a proposed move to Old Trafford this month.
The report also claims that United are preparing to offer a l♋arger transfer fee – which the believe ♔to be in the region of £25 million – than Manchester City, and that any deal that would see Sanchez move to Old Trafford could also see the out-of-favour Henrikh Mkhitaryan go the other way.
And quite ꧟frankly, if there’s any truth behind these reports, United should go all ou𓆉t to get him.
After starting the Premier League season in fine form, setting the pace with City at the top of the table, United’s form ha🌊s derailed somewhat and it seems th🔴at their pre-season hopes of the title are a distant memory.
That’s not to say that they’ve been poor, becaus🐠e they haven’t.
Not many teams only lose three times in the opening 22 league matches yet find themselves 15 points behind the leaders, and the❀ size of the gap is testament to just how goo🗹d City have been.
Yet it’s hard to deny that there has been a spark m💫issing at Old Trafford this season since their blistering start to the 2017-18 campaign, and a player in the ꧟mould of Sanchez could be exactly the tonic required for a mid-season boost.
There’s a distinct lack of width in the United side, something that boss Jose Mourinho has been aware of for🐼 a while after trying – and ultimately failing – with his pursuit of Ivan Perisic last year.
Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata have all played their parts in wide areas but none are fully comfortable there, and United are in need of a fully-fledged winger who possesses the talent to 🅘deliver consistently into the area for the likes of Romelu Lukaku to work with.
And in Sa♛nchez there’ꦡs few better options around as of now.
His Premie🔜r League pedigree is anything but a secret, scoring 31 times in his last 57 appearances since the start of last season, and he can add 13 assists to his impressive record during this period.
Mourinho is on t�🦋�he hunt for a creative hub and the Chilean forward is just that, and despite coming in for criticism this season for his performances he’s still created 50 clear-cut chances for Arsenal, only second to Mesut Ozil.
For a point of comparison United’s most creative player this season has been Mata, crafting 31 opportunities for ꧙his teammates, and that just shows the impact Sanchez could have upon arrival.
Yet, a move f📖or Sanchez would run far deeper than jus꧒t his creativity.
He’s ♛a player ideal for Mourinho, one that’s determined, willing to give his all until the final whistle and leave nothing behind on the pitch, and ♛his never-say-die attitude could lift the Old Trafford dressing room no end.
It seems to be a viewpoint that is shared by those with an avid ✤interest in United too, with ex-defender Phil Neville telling that it could be an ‘unbelievable’ coup for them should they pull it off.
Addressing the transfer rumours ye꧙sterday✨, he said:
“It’s pretty obvious he’s not going to stay at Arsenal. I think if United were going to buy him, £25m would be an absolute snip.
“United missed out on buying Ivan Perisic in the summer, and with that missed out on a winger. I think Sanchez provides the quality, the goals and the world-class ability he has got.
“I think it would be an unbelievable signing. If you look back at the big signings over the decades, [Eric] Cantona came out of the hat, [Robin] Van Persie was a surprise, and they both helped United win titles. I think this could have a similar impact. He’s got the character to play at Old Trafford.”
His point on Cantona and Van Persie is a hugely valid one, and whilst a move for Sanchez now isn’t likely to help them overhaul Manchester City this season it sets them up perfectly for next time out – and could hᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚelp their Champions League push in the latter part of 2017-2018.
However, perhaps more than anything, being able to hijack Manchester City’s proposed move for him would almost give them an air of having som♈ething over their rivals in a season where Guardiola has dominated.
Should the rumours be true, and should both Manchester sides be in for Sanchez, then ultimately the Chilean’ಞs choice of final destination will be down to his personal preference – and this w❀ould say a lot.
January is often known for being a more mundane transfer window than ༺the summer installment but that’s certainly not the case this time around, and Manchester🎉 United could be drawing ever closer to one of the most memorable hijacks in Premier League history.