Alexis Sanchez move to Manchester United nears completion

It’s as if the public flirting with Paris Saint-Germain was all for show. It’s as if Ed Woodward saying that he wasn’t that fussed about tying Jose Mourinho down to a new deal was all a ruse for the press. Mourinho is now expected to sign a deal until 2021, having seemingly secured for himself not just a raise, but £50m or so to bring Alexis Sanchez to the club. It doesn’t feel like this is a club he’s going to walk out of after three seasons, but then again he signed a new contract just before doing one from Chelsea in his second spell.

United’s revenue is now £600m, overtaking Barcelona and Real Madrid thanks to a return to the Champions League. Remember that when Ed Woodward finishes another transfer window with Chris Smalling and Phil Jones still able to get a starting place in central defence. That figure will only rise now that Google and Amazon, amongst others, are taking a look at broadcast rights.

Sanchez’s move to United might depend on being able to get rid of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and sending him on his way to Arsenal. No doubt he and Mino Raiola realise that they can scrape a few million more because of how much United want Sanchez. And fair enough. The object of football, after all, is to earn as much money as you can in as short a time as you can.

According to this story, Mkhitaryan has accepted that he won’t win back a regular place at Old Trafford.

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson has been recalled from his loan spell at Leeds United after a disappointing spell in The Championship. At 23, it seems like it’s too late for him to step up after a few promising, unflappable but limited performances for Louis van Gaal.