Of course, the forgotten man in all of this is Gareth Bale…
Alexis Sanchez is set to be rewarded with not only a lucrative contract and a new set of teammates to hoick a football around with.
The 29-year-old is set to be bestowed with Manchester United’s prestiguous No.7 jersey as soon as his switch from Arsenal is confirmed. The Chilean is said to have departed Arsenal’s team hotel on Friday night after wishing a fond adieu to his Gunners teammates.
The United No.7 jersey has been vacant since the departure of Memphis Depay, to Lyon, but it should prove a nice fit for Sanchez, who wore 7 during his time at The Emirates.
The capture of the forward will come as a boost to second place United and will offset news that Cristiano Ronaldo is now unlikely to play for the club again. Most United fans will have written off ever getting Ronaldo back to Old Trafford but his name has been constantly linked with the club ever since Alex Ferguson departed.
It has been reported by several sources that United boss Jose Mourinho met with Jorge Mendes, agent to Ronaldo, on Friday. The subject of Ronaldo returning to Manchester was discussed but Mourinho is thought to have come out against it.
With Sanchez set to arrive, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan said to be going the opposite way, Mourinho will turn his attentions to strengthening his midfield and defence this summer.
Marca also have news on Mourinho’s decision about Ronaldo but have gone one step further. The Spanish outlet claims that Mourinho will not be pushing for United to pursue Gareth Bale, Ronaldo’s Real Madrid teammate, during this or the summer transfer window.
The club’s next priority would appear to be getting goalkeeper David De Gea to sign a contract extension with a salary boost included within.
