Manchester City ready to make big-money move to bring Chile striker Alexis Sanchez to Eastlands

Manchester City ready to make big-money move to bring Chile striker Alexis Sanchez to Eastlands

Manchester City are set to offer more than €40 million (£35 million) for Udinese striker Alexis Sanchez, who is being courted by a number of Europe’s leading clubs.

Centre of attention: Chile forward Alexis Sanchez could be on his way to Manchester City Photo: GETTY IMAGES

By Jason Burt, Deputy Football Correspondent 11:23PM BST 11 Apr 2011

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The final fee could be as high as €50 million (£44 million), which would make Sanchez the second most expensive player to be bought by a Premier League club.

It is understood that City officials met representatives of the 22-year-old Chilean over the weekend to discuss a deal. The talks are believed to have been positive.

Sanchez, who played for Chile in the World Cup last year and has long been identified as a rising star of world football, has informally agreed to join City with Udinese resigned to his departure, it is believed.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Inter Milan have also considered moving for Sanchez, who can play as either a striker or a right winger. It is understood that Udinese have already rejected several offers for the player.

Sources believe that Sanchez would replace Mario Balotelli in the City squad with the unsettled striker likely to return to Italy in the summer, probably to AC Milan.

However City would have to take a significant loss on the £24 million they paid for Balotelli for that deal to take place.

If they can secure Sanchez it may make sense to move on Balotelli with City also hopeful that Real Madrid will exercise their £15 million option to sign Emmanuel Adebayor when his loan deal expires .

City have been to watch Sanchez several times with members of Roberto Mancini’s coaching staff scouting him as well as football administrator Brian Marwood.

Signing Sanchez may depend on City qualifying for the Champions League, given the calibre of clubs also interested in him, but it is unlikely that any other suitor will offer anywhere near the same level of fee. City are aware of this and that Udinese are also hopeful of qualifying for the competition.

The fee would beat the £35 million Liverpool paid for Newcastle United’s Andy Carroll in the January transfer window and the £32.5 million City paid for Robinho .

City probably paid more for Carlos Tévez. The fee is thought to have been in excess of £40 million but has not been officially revealed.

Tévez’s own future will probably also be resolved in the summer, partly depending on whether City qualify for the Champions League. The City captain put in a transfer request earlier this season but withdrew it after talks with the club’s owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan.
Telegraph.feedsportal.com