Manchester City are no longer interested in signing Alexis Sánchez from Arsenal. They cite the cost of the deal as being prohibitive and have, therefore, decided against pursuing it.

Why is this?

As Gary Neville pointed out just recently, there is an overall difference between the cost of buying him now and the cost of buying him last summer of around £30 million. That’s £30 million LESS to buy him now. So why have City pulled out?

Well, the real reason seems much more likely to be that Sánchez has, in their eyes, reneged on his “gentleman’s agreement”

When Arsenal, due to abysmal mis-management, failed to sign Thomas Lemar on the final day of the last transfer window, Pep Guardiola assured Sánchez that he would still become a City player, probably in January but definitely by summer.

The Chilean was happy with this and agreed to stay at Arsenal, (not that he had any choice in the matter), until the deal could be done.

Now, of course, the deal can be done but there is one big difference. Last summer, Sánchez wasn’t aware of interest from another club, probably because there wasn’t any at the time, which is why he was happy to pledge his future to City.

Now United are interested in acquiring his services and he can make more money from the deal, as can Arsenal.

Yes, it can be argued that he would pick up a relatively easy Premier League winner’s medal by joining City, but that isn’t his style. He wouldn’t feel as though he had contributed to winning it given that it is virtually already in the bag.

He may have more chance of winning the champion’s League with City but, in fairness, by joining United he automatically increases their chances of winning that competition.

There is also now mention of Chelsea being interested in signing him although that is highly unlikely. The fact that they might change their manager in the summer is hardly going to be an attraction for Sánchez. When a player joins another club, it is often because they admire the manager, which would be difficult at Chelsea as he doesn’t know who that will be!

So the clever money is on him going to Old Trafford and making United a stronger team, particularly now that City have opted out. There have also been reports today from Sky Sports suggesting that this deal could be a straight swap for Henrikh Mkhitaryan whose agent Mino Raiola, had this to say to Sky Sports News: “Sanchez is part of Mkhi’s deal. Not the other way around. Without him, Sanchez simply cannot go to United”.

Again, why have they opted out? Because, like a certain Danny Alves, the player had given his word that he would join and is now moving the goalposts. He now wants more money than was originally, (verbally), agreed and City, whilst well able to afford it, won’t be taken for mugs, unlike Ed Woodward who seems to like nothing better!

City were bitten once by Alves and have now pulled out of a deal because they can see it happening again unless they pay the ransom which they refuse, quite rightly, to do.

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