Manchester United may be set to send Alexis Sanchez on loan to Inter Milan, but they will continue paying almost 80% of his wages, with the Italian giants having no obligation to sign him at the end of the loan spell.
Sanchez joined United in January of 2018 from Arsenal, but has struggled for form and fitness, scoring a paltry five goals in 31 games. And although it was thought he would stay back at Old Trafford following the injury to Anthony Martial in the surprise 2-1 home loss to Crystal Palace at the weekend, it appears the Red Devils have decided against keeping him and he is now set to spend the rest of the 2019/20 season in Serie A with Inter.
What does this move mean for United?
Well for one, they will be without a player that has failed to hit the heights following his celebrated move over a year ago. However, according to reports, the Red Devils will still be responsible for almost 80% of Sanchez’s wages. have agreed to send Alexis Sanchez on loan to Inter Milan. It also means Ole Gunnar Solksjaer will get his wish of accelerating the progress of Tahith Chong, Mason Greenwood and Angel Gomes to the first team.
How much is the deal worth?
It remains unclear how much Inter are paying for the loan deal, but reports claim they will only pay £4.5million of the Chile international’s £21m annual salary, which is about £150,000 a week. This means United will end paying the rest of Sanchez’s salary, which is believed to be over £400,000 a week. It is also reported that while United wanted to include an obligatory clause to make the deal permanent at the end of the loan, it is reported that that is now not the case as Inter refused the option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.
What then does this mean for Sanchez?
Well, it remains to be seen how the season will pan out for the 30-year old, but one thing is sure, he gets a chance to revive his career in a new environment, albeit in a league he has once excelled. He also gets to keep earning his massive wages, while getting the opportunity to get his groove back on…oh, and there’s also the chance to link up with Romelu Lukaku, with whom he is reported to have formed a strong bond back at Old Trafford.
Who has gotten the better deal between Inter and United?
On the surface of it, it looks like Inter gets the better hand in this deal. One, they get to pay only a fraction of the player’s wages, while getting the services of a world class talent who will be looking to prove a point again. Also, it helps improve their team and quest to wrestle the Serie A title off perennial champions Juventus. For United, one could say they finally reduce their wage bill even if by only a fraction, while getting rid of a player seemingly unhappy to be at the club.
Conclusion
It looks a very curious decision by Manchester United. For one, they still end up paying a large chunk of the player’s wages, while depleting their own team in the process. Over the last one year, they have lost seasoned players like Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera, Romelu Lukaku and now look set to lose Sanchez, all without replacing any of them. And given how their season has panned out so far, it remains curious they’re sanctioning a loan move away for Sanchez. Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes and Jesse Lingard are all talented and promising players, but none has the pedigree or accomplishment of Sanchez and given that the English transfer window has since closed and they can’t get a replacement, it remains a very curious case.