Alexis Sanchez: Inter Milan complete permanent deal for Manchester United forward

Alexis Sanchez joined Inter on loan in August 2019

Inter Milan have completed the permanent signing of Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez on a three-year deal.

The Chile international, 31, joined the Serie A side on a season-long loan in August 2019.

He scored four goals in 29 appearances in all competitions.

Inter expect to have him available for the Europa League 'final eight' in Germany after beating Getafe on Wednesday.

"We have agreed [the deal]," United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told BT Sport on Wednesday after his side also reached the quarter-finals with a win over LASK.

"He has enjoyed his time there. He is a top player but for whatever reason we didn't see the best of him. He is a top professional and we wish him all the best."

The precise terms of the deal are unknown but is almost certain to have involved United taking a significant financial hit.

Sanchez played 45 games for United after joining from Arsenal in 2018, scoring just five goals.

He becomes the third player to join Inter from United in the past 12 months, with striker Romelu Lukaku and midfielder Ashley Young having made similar switches.

Analysis

The deal will bring to an end one of the most controversial and ill-fated transfers in United's history.

They fought off competition from Manchester City for Sanchez, signing him from Arsenal on a four-and-a-half year deal on an eye-watering £400,000-a-week.

But Sanchez completely failed to recapture the form he showed so often during his time with the Gunners.

He did score on his home debut and his form in that first half-season was not disastrous. But after that, Sanchez was poor, to the extent that talking to people from the club about the potential signing of Jadon Sancho this week, they were emphasising the need not to disrupt their wage structure as happened previously - ie. with the Chilean.

As United did not pay a fee for him in the first place - it was a swap deal with Arsenal for Henrikh Mkhitaryan - they have not lost money on that front.

However, it is certain there has still been a financial cost incurred, and that there is an arrangement where everyone involved has contributed to the £40m that Sanchez had been due in wages over the remaining two years of his contract. United will have given Sanchez his pay-off and the player has taken a pay cut.

In making the move to Inter, Sanchez has got an extra year - whereas his contract at Old Trafford would have run out in 2022, his Inter deal lasts until 2023.

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