Alexis Sanchez is reportedly set to finally join Manchester City on a free transfer next summer in a deal worth £400,000 per week.
According to a report by Daily Mirror, Manchester City are ready to make Alexis Sanchez the highest paid player in the Premier League. The Chilean is set to snub a January exit from Arsenal to sign with the Citizens on a free transfer in a £400,000-a-week deal.
Sanchez is widely regarded as one of the best players in the Premier League, having been a pivotal figure for Arsenal over the last few seasons. Last season, he was a standout in an otherwise underwhelming campaign for the Gunners, with 30 goals and 19 assists in 51 appearances.
But, things have petered out for Sanchez since then. The player was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City in the summer. A transfer failed to materialise and the Chile international has failed to look the part in the months that have followed.
The player has just 5 goals and 4 assists in 17 outings this season, and there have been reports of a bust-up with teammates over his attitude on the field in recent weeks. With that in mind, a non-performing Sanchez would ideally be better off elsewhere, with City among those who have been linked with a January move.
Alexis Sanchez will snub January offers to join Manchester City on a free transfer next summer.
Alexis will get a signing-on fee and contract that equates to £325,000-a-week plus image rights worth another £75,000-a-week. [Mirror] pic.twitter.com/maui6eWWw9
— City Watch (@City_Watch) December 20, 2017
However, it looks like Pep Guardiola & co. are ready to wait till next summer to secure his services, when he will cost absolutely nothing. Signing Sanchez for free will also enable Manchester City to pay the big bucks, with the player set to sign a deal worth £400,000 per week.
The aforementioned contract will include a basic salary around £325,000-a-week plus image rights worth another £75,000-a-week – numbers that would make him one of the top earners in the game, and the highest paid in the Premier League.
There is certainly a risk in waiting till the summer as any other top club could shell out similar sums to lure him away from the Emirates, with PSG among those interested. But, Manchester City are confident that Sanchez wants the switch to Etihad instead.
The Citizens indeed do not have the need to make any attacking reinforcements in January, with Guardiola’s squad often scoring goals for fun. And despite an alarming drop in form, Sanchez remains a game changer at his best, potentially making him a top signing for any club.
So, as Sanchez looks set to run down his contract at Arsenal, a lucrative switch to Manchester City beckons. The Gunners, on the other hand, can concentrate on signing a replacement, with the likes of Hirving Lozano, Wilfried Zaha and even Raheem Sterling among the players linked.
