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BREAKING NEWS: Arsenal and Man Utd agree Sanchez-Mkhitaryan swap

Premier League transfer: Arsenal could have lost Alexis Sanchez for free in June, but they have agreed a swap for Henrikh Mkhitaryan with Manchester United.

Sanchez (left) and Mkhitaryan

London, January 22: Arsenal and Manchester United have agreed a swap that sends Alexis Sanchez to Old Trafford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the opposite direction.

While Sanchez has committed his future to United, Mkhitaryan has put pen to paper on a long-term contract at Emirates Stadium. The deal reportedly does not contain any transfer fee.

Arsenal were said to be asking £35million for their star forward but have ultimately accepted a trade for the Armenia international to avoid getting nothing for Sanchez, who could have left for free at the end of his deal in June.

Sanchez was tipped for a reunion with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, but the runaway Premier League leaders dropped out of the race for his signature amid rumours of concerns regarding the financial package.

With Antonio Conte stating he did not think Chelsea were looking to sign the 29-year-old last week, United became the clear favourites.

Sanchez scored 60 goals in 122 Premier League appearances for the Gunners, who he joined from Barcelona in 2014.

He won the FA Cup twice at Arsenal, scoring in a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in the 2015 final and netting the opening goal in the 2-1 triumph against Chelsea last season.

The arrival of Mkhitaryan helps compensate for the loss of Sanchez.

Mkhitaryan struggled to establish himself in Jose Mourinho's first team following a reported £26.3m move from Borussia Dortmund in 2016.

The 29-year-old made 22 appearances for United in 2017-18 but only completed the 90 minutes on two occasions, the last of which came at home to Basel in the Champions League on September 12.

Despite Mkhitaryan's arrival at Arsenal, the departure of two-time Copa America winner Sanchez is likely to increase scrutiny on the contract situation of Mesut Ozil, whose deal will expire in June.

The Gunners are said to be pursuing Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, it is believed they are yet to meet an asking price of in excess of £50m.

Quiero agradecer al Staff Técnico, al equipo médico, a todos los compañeros con los que compartí muchas cosas lindas para el club y en especial a todas esas personas que no se ven en las portadas, pero que sin ellos nada seria posible, que son los que te preparan la comida y te cuidan día día, los que nos mantienen los zapatos limpios y campos de fútbol en las mejores condiciones para entrenar. Mil gracias a Ustedes por ayudarnos a mejorar cada día. Gracias por tanto cariño 😢. Hay personas (ex jugadores del club) que han hablado sin conocimiento de lo que ocurre en la interna y causan daño. Debo decir que siempre me entregué al 100%, hasta el último día, en que le pedí al Mister estar con el equipo, por que quería ser un aporte. Recuerdo hoy, una conversación que tuve con Henry, un histórico de Arsenal, que cambió de club, por la misma razón que hoy me toca a mi. Gracias por todo Gunners ! I want to say thanks to the Technical Staff, to the medical team and all teammates with whom I shared many nice things for the club and especially those people who do not see themselves on the covers, but without them nothing would be possible, which are there to prepare food for us and take care of us day by day, those who keep our shoes clean and the grass in the best conditions. Many thanks to you for helping us to improve every day. Thank you very much 😢. There are people (former club players) who have spoken with no knowledge of what happens inside the club and cause damage. I must say I always gave 100%, until the last day, when I asked to the Mister to be in the team, because I wanted to be a contribution. I remember today, a conversation I had with Henry, a historic Arsenal player, who changed club for the same reason and today is my turn. Thanks for everything Gunners! All we achieved and the good moments that I gave to the club, I want to dedicate it to the fans, they are the most important. Thanks for every time you sing Alexis Sanchez Baby

A post shared by Alexis Sanchez (@alexis_officia1) on

Source: OPTA

Story first published: Tuesday, January 23, 2018, 0:25 [IST]
Other articles published on Jan 23, 2018