Manchester United close in on Alexis Sanchez

Jose Mourinho has said that he has been man enough to apologise to Claudio Ranieri after he decided his sarky jibes at him were unnecessary. It is hard to disagree. However, he won’t back down after his spat with Antonio Conte, because he still holds him in absolute contempt, and rightly so after the dementia insult. The piece in The Guardian also says that Mourinho and Ed Woodward are trying to extend David de Gea’s contract, because he is absolutely mustard - the best ‘keeper in the world.

Alexis Sanchez is nearing a move to Manchester United, according to most of the papers and this story in The Telegraph. Sanchez will join for around £30m, with wages of approximately £400,000 a week. In return for that, he won’t get the chance to win as many chances as he will probably get at City, but he will get a stadium that fans actually turn up to. Similarly, and it’s weird to say this, Mourinho is a world class manager who in many ways has a more impressive track record than Pep Guardiola (though you can see why others think Guardiola is superior).

Get ready to roll your eyes. Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to return to Manchester United after a pay snub from Real Madrid. If Sanchez arrives, it is difficult to see how Ronaldo would be necessary given the transfer fee and wages required. He plays in largely the same position, and United have already heaped cash on Romelu Lukaku.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan could leave United after the arrival of Sanchez, or as part of it. Mkhitaryan was wanted by Arsenal before he left Borussia Dortmund, and given he has lost his place in the United first team, it makes sense to send him to London where he can underperform in more comfortable surroundings.