Barcelona have reportedly decided not to re-sign former forward Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona after Xavi Hernandez vetoed the move.
According to a report from Fichajes, Xavi Hernandez has decided not to add former teammate and current Inter Milan attacker Alexis Sanchez to his Barcelona squad in the upcoming January transfer window.
Sanchez first signed for Barcelona in the summer of 2011, arriving from Serie A side Udinese and spent three moderately successful seasons at Camp Nou. However, the Chilean international left the club in 2014 in search of more regular first-team opportunities, joining Arsenal in the process.
Alexis had an enjoyable stint at the Emirates Stadium as he established himself as one of the best attackers in the Premier League. However, an ill-advised move to Manchester United followed in January 2018, which proved to be a major dud before he made his way to Inter Milan in 2019.
Heading into the January transfer window, rumours of a return to Barcelona have been swirling around over the past week. The Catalans are in desperate need of new forwards after having suffered a spate of injuries in the attacking department, while Sergio Aguero has also retired from the game in unfortunate circumstances.
While several attackers have been linked with a move to Camp Nou, Sanchez also emerged as a potential target for the Blaugrana. In fact, reports even went as far as indicating that the Catalans were in advanced talks to re-sign the Chilean international on loan from Inter Milan, who in turn would take Luuk de Jong on a temporary deal until the end of the season.
It was believed that all parties involved were in agreement over a move, including De Jong’s parent club, Sevilla. However, a move will not be materialising now, as Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez did not approve the transfer.
The report claims that the 41-year-old believes that Sanchez is performing well below his best and would not add much value to the team. In addition to that, the former Arsenal superstar’s wages were also a stumbling block. As a result, Xavi decided to call off the pursuit of the Chilean attacker.
Instead, the manager has his sights firmly set on Manchester City’s Ferran Torres, while reports of an impending move for Edinson Cavani are also picking up speed.
