Category: 2018

The Guardian (London), UK
 Tuesday 1:30 PM GMT


Alexis Sánchez move to Manchester United may hinge on Henrikh Mkhitaryan

· Armenian yet to decide on possible move to Emirates · Mkhitaryan and
Arsenal yet to have talks on any deal

by Jamie Jackson


Manchester United's hopes of buying Arsenal's Alexis Sánchez may
recede should Henrikh Mkhitaryan not wish move to the north London
club, with the Armenian carefully weighing up his options before a
possible move from Old Trafford.

Related: Manchester United spending a fortune to get Alexis Sánchez at
29 makes sense

There has as not yet been contact between Mkhitaryan and Arsenal
regarding his terms and potentially moving to the Emirates. It is
understood Mkhitaryan does not view himself as a makeweight in any
deal that would take Sánchez to United. Instead, the forward believes
he is the key to United being able to purchase the Chilean.

United's prospective terms are thought to include Mkhitaryan being
part of Sanchez's transfer but the 28-year-old is in no particular
rush to depart and would countenance remaining at the club.

Should he opt to do so, this would leave United having to decide
whether they wish to finance Sánchez's transfer without the sum of
around £30m they would have received from Mkhitaryan's sale. When
Sánchez's signing-on fee plus that of his agent's are factored in this
would mean United having to pay around £60m for a player who is out of
contract at Arsenal in the summer.

There is also the question of whether Arsène Wenger would allow
Sánchez to leave it he did not have Mkhitaryan as his replacement,
though Arsenal's manager is also pursuing Borussia Dortmund's
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

manchestereveningnews.co.uk
 Tuesday 12:42 PM GMT


Henrikh Mkhitaryan agent breaks silence over Manchester United Alexis
Sanchez deal

Manchester United have been pursuing the Arsenal forward and the
Armenian could be part of the deal.

By Anthony Jepson


Henrikh Mkhitaryan's agent Mino Raiola says his client holds the key
toManchester United's pursuit ofAlexis Sanchez.

But he saysMkhitaryanwill not be railroaded into a move away from Old
Trafford - and insists the Armenian is not part of the Sanchez but
deal it is the other way round.

United are favourites to sign the Arsenal forward afterCity pulled out
of the racefor the Chilean.

The Reds are willing to meet the £35 million asking price for the
29-year-old, but have offered Mkhitaryan as part of the deal.

Raiola toldThe Times: "Manchester United is not going to sign Sanchez
unless Mkhi agrees to join Arsenal.

"Mkhi has not decided yet. Mkhi is going to do what is best for him.
He has two-and-a-half years left on his contract, so it's his
decision.

"Sanchez is part of the Mkhi deal, not the other way around."

United manager Jose Mourinho has admittedhe is open to moving the
underperforming Mkhitaryan on, saying: "Is it possible he
[Mkhitaryan]s going to be involved in the deal?

"It's possible. It's also possible he stays. I didn't select him
(against Stoke) because I wanted players fully focused and I
understand that with so much talk and so much speculation it is not
easy for Mkhitaryan to play at home with this feeling, can happen,
maybe doesn't happen.

"My approach to players is that every player has a price.

United showed Alexis Sanchez more commitment than City - it's simple

"So when the transfer window is open is also open for any club that is
interested in our players, then it's up to us to make the decision yes
or no, it's up to us to decide what we think is the right price."

Of United's pursuit of Sanchez, Mourinho said on Monday night
following the win over Stoke: "Not confident but also not, what is the
opposite? Unconfident. Just relaxed.

"We have a feeling that he is an Arsenal player, we have a feeling
that he can stay there, but also a feeling he can move and if he moves
I think we have a chance but most probably a player like him has other
big clubs interested and who knows."

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Agence France Presse
 Tuesday 2:07 PM GMT


Football: Sanchez transfer 'hinges on Mkhitaryan deal', says agent

London, Jan 16 2018

Manchester United's bid to sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal hinges on
Henrikh Mkhitaryan moving the other way, the Armenian player's agent
said Tuesday as Antonio Conte distanced Chelsea from a potential deal.

Chile international Sanchez, who appears to have played his last game
for Arsenal, had been strongly linked with a move to either Manchester
United or Manchester City and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has also
spoken of his admiration for the player.

The player, who is out of contract this summer, had appeared certain
to sign for Pep Guardiola's team after a transfer fell through in
August but it is understood City have pulled out of the race for the
29-year-old due to the costs involved.

There has been speculation Mkhitaryan will be offered as a makeweight
from United to land Sanchez, and Mourinho left the playmaker out of
the squad to face Stoke on Monday due to "doubts about his future".

Mkhitaryan's agent Mino Raiola told Britain's Times newspaper that
Sanchez's transfer to United was reliant on his client joining Arsenal
as part of the deal.

"Manchester United are not going to sign Sanchez unless Mkhi agrees to
join Arsenal," Raiola told the newspaper.

"Mkhi is going to do what is best for him. He has two-and-a-half years
left on his contract so it's his decision. Sanchez is part of the Mkhi
deal, not the other way around."

Conte last week described any potential cut-priced deal for the Chile
striker as a great opportunity but he told reporters on Tuesday that
he did not believe Chelsea were trying to sign the player.

- 'Great' signing -

Jose Mourinho, speaking after second-placed United had reduced Premier
League table-toppers City's lead to 12 points on Monday said it would
be "great" if Sanchez arrived at Old Trafford though he remained
non-committal.

"No news on Alexis Sanchez, he is an Arsenal player," he said. "If he
stays it's great for Arsenal, if he comes to us, great for us, if he
goes to another club, great for them."

If the transfer goes ahead it would be the third blockbuster move of
the January window involving Premier League clubs following Philippe
Coutinho's big-money switch from Liverpool to Barcelona and Virgil van
Dijk's arrival at Anfield from Southampton.

United have an impressive selection of forwards but Sanchez could
expect to become a fixture in the first team alongside Romelu Lukaku,
with doubts growing over the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic following
his recent return from a long-term injury.

Sanchez joined Arsenal from Barcelona in 2014 and in a stellar 2016/17
campaign scored 30 goals and provided 17 assists, though his form has
since dipped.

His loss would be a major blow for Arsenal, who saw Robin van Persie
swap the Emirates for Old Trafford in 2012.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Bordeaux forward Malcom but
Arsene Wenger, who said the club would need a replacement if Sanchez
were to leave, refused to confirm his interest in the Brazilian.

The British press widely reported on Tuesday that Arsenal were in
talks to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund.

Aubameyang was dropped at the weekend after missing a team meeting --
the third time he had been disciplined by the club after an
unauthorised video shoot and a trip to Milan shortly before a
Champions League game last season.

The Independent (United Kingdom)
 Tuesday 2:55 PM GMT


Alexis Sanchez's Manchester United transfer agreed but Henrikh
Mkhitaryan demands are holding up the deal

Arsenal had been favouring United's offer over Manchester City's
because it involved a player, but the Armenian's preferred option is
to go back to Dortmund

by  Miguel Delaney


The general terms of Alexis Sanchez's move to Manchester United from
Arsenal have now been agreed, but it is still open to question whether
Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be part of the deal, meaning there is still a
lot of negotiation left.

Arsenal had been favouring United's offer over Manchester City's
because it involved a player, but the Armenian's preferred option is
to go back to Borussia Dortmund after an unhappy time in England so
far, and it is understood that he and his representative Mino Raiola
are demanding high wages to make the deal happen.

Arsenal are currently reluctant to come close to their demands.

While there is still an expectation United will eventually sign
Sanchez whatever happens, the situation could yet rumble on for a few
days.

Read more

How Mkhitaryan has become the key man in Sanchez's move to United

Raiola has insisted it is Sanchez who is the makeweight in
Mkhitaryan's transfer to Arsenal, and not the other way around.

"Manchester United are not going to sign Sanchez unless Mkhi agrees to
join Arsenal," he told

The Times

"Mkhi is going to do what is best for him. He has two-and-a-half years
left on his contract, so it's his decision. "Sanchez is part of the
Mkhi deal, not the other way around."