The 33-year-old Chilean soccer player has reportedly reached an agreement with French side Marseille after Internazionale ended his contract by mutual agreement, the Serie A club said.
Sanchez is joining the club on a free transfer.
Sanchez made 109 appearances and scored 20 goals in all competitions after joining Inter from Manchester Unitedin 2019 but rarely appeared in the starting lineup last season.
“The club would like to wholeheartedly thank Alexis for these last three seasons, in which the Nerazzurri won three major honors, and we wish him all the best for his future career,” Inter said in a statement.
Former Barcelona and Arsenalforward Sanchez, who has 146 caps and 48 goals for Chile, won the 2020-2021 Scudetto, Inter‘s first league title in 11 years, and last season helped the club win the Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup.
Inter Milan have agreed to sign the 31-year-oldChilean professional footballer from Manchester United on a permanent three-year deal, the Serie A club’s CEO Giuseppe Marotta has announced.
Sanchez signed with Inter Milan on loan at the start of the 2019-20 season following a disappointing spell at United where he scored only five goals in 45 matches.
Although Sanchez scored only four league goals this season, he seemed to have rediscovered his touch in Italy, where he topped the club’s charts with eight assists as Antonio Conte‘s Inter finished runners-up behind Juventus.
“It will be official tomorrow [Thursday] in the morning,” Marotta told Sky Sports.
“The player is completely ours and we have a three-year contract with him. We think he can be a full member of our squad.”
The transfer will also allow Sanchez to play in the rest of Inter’s Europa League campaign after they advanced to the quarterfinals on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Spanish side Getafe in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.,
Following Manchester United’s win over LASK in the Europa League, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also confirmed a deal was in place.
“We’ll announce it tomorrow [Thursday],” Solskjaer said. “He’s agreed and we’ve agreed. He enjoyed his time there and they’ve liked him. He’s a top player who we want to see playing his best football. We didn’t see the best of him for whatever reason. He’s a top professional, now we just wish him all the best.”
Messi comes in at No. 3 on the list, behind Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo, with earning reported at $104 million.
The Futbol Club Barcelona star’s earnings includes his $72 million salary with his team, as well as $32 million in endorsements, including his lifelong deal with Adidas.
Nipping on Messi’s heels… Neymar.
The 28-year-old Brazilian footballer, on a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain through June 2022 worth $350 million, comes in at No. 4 with combined earnings of $95.5 million.
Nike‘s Jordan Brand signed Neymar as its first soccer ambassador in 2016. In March 2020, its film unit released a movie about his life.
Messi and Ronaldo had previously held the No. 1 spot in three of the past four years.
Rafael Nadal comes in at No. 27 on the list.
The 33-year-old tennis star has combined earnings of $40 million. The greatest clay court player of his generation captured two of Grand Slam titles in 2019, his 12th French Open title and fourth U.S. Open.
Here’s a look at the Latino athletes making this year’s top earners list.
No. 3: Lionel Messi, Soccer, Argentine, $104 million No. 4: Neymar, Soccer, Brazil, $95.5 million No. 27: Rafael Nadal, Tennis, Spain, $40 million No. 30: Canelo Alvarez, Boxing, Mexico, $37 million No. 46: Andres Iniesta, Soccer, Spain, $29.6 million No. 56: Oscar, Soccer, Brazil, $27.5 million No. 67: David de Gea, Soccer, Spain, $25.7 million No. 69: Alexis Sanchez, Soccer, Chile, $25.6 million No. 79: Al Horford, Basketball, Dominican Republic, $24.4 million No. 100: Sergio Ramos, Soccer, Spain, $21.8 million
The 30-year-old Chilean professional footballerhas joined Inter Milan on a season-long loan from Manchester United, the clubs have announced.
Sanchez, who joined United from Arsenal in January 2018, struggled to find his best form at Old Traffordand, despite manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaerhaving backed Sanchez to come good, has returned to Serie Awith Inter Milan.
“We can confirm that Alexis Sanchez joins Inter Milan on loan until 30 June 2020. We wish @Alexis_Sanchez the best of luck in Italy,” United wrote in a Twitter post.
Sources told ESPN FC earlier this week that Manchester United had agreed to loan Sanchez for 10 months while contributing around £6 million of his £391,000-a-week salary. Inter are set to pay £9.46m of the 30-year-old’s wages plus a loan fee to United. The deal does not include an option to buy.
Sanchez will join up with Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku who left United for Inter this month in a deal reported to have cost the Serie A club around €80m ($89.15m).
Sanchez, who previously spent three seasons in Serie A with Udinese before moving to Barcelona, is his country’s all-time leading scorer with 43 goals.
“On behalf of the entire Nerazzurri family, we’d like to wish [Sanchez] a very warm welcome and the best of luck,” Inter said in a statement.
He arrives at San Siro as a replacement for Ivan Perisic, who signed for Bayern Munich.
Lionel Messiis kickin’ it to the top of the popularity charts…
The 31-year-old Argentine soccer star is the top-ranking Latino on ESPN’s World Fame 100 list, which identifies the most famous athletes in the world.
Messi, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner who plays for the Spanish club BarcelonaFC and the Argentina national team, comes in at No. 3 on this year’s list, behind soccer rival Cristiano Ronaldo and NBAsuperstar LeBron James. It’s the same position Messi held last year.
The World Fame 100 ranks athletes based on their Google search score, their endorsement dollars and social media followers.
Nipping at Messi’s heels… Neymar.
The 27-year-old Brazilian soccer star, who plays for the Brazil national team and French club Paris Saint-Germain, comes in at No. 4, the same position he held in 2018.
Also earning a spot in the Top 10… Rafael Nadal.
The 32-year-old Spanish tennis star comes in at No. 8, two spots behind his rival Roger Federer. Nadal held the same ranking last year.
In all, Latino athletes took up 23 spots on the list, the majority of them international soccer players like Andres Iniesta (Spain), James Rodriguez (Colombia), Alexis Sanchez (Chile) and Javier Hernandez (Mexico).
Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarezis the sole Latino boxer on the list, at No. 68, while Puerto Rican basketball player Carmelo Anthony, at No. 65, is the only Latino basketball player to make the grade.
There are no Latina athletes on this year’s list, which features tennis sensation Serena Williams as the top female athlete at No. 17.
Here’s a look at the Latinos who made the World Fame 100:
Rank, Name, Sport, Country, Search Score, Endorsements, Social Stats No. 3, Lionel Messi, Soccer, Argentina, 54, $28m, 103.1 million No. 4, Neymar, Soccer, Brazil, 55, $19m, 107.2 million No. 8, Rafael Nadal, Tennis, Spain, 40, $29.3m, 15.6 million No. 27, Andres Iniesta, Soccer, Spain, 8, $2.2m, 26.7 million No. 29, James Rodriguez, Soccer, Colombia, 11, $4.8m, 40.5 million No. 36, Luis Suarez, Soccer, Uruguay, 6, $7.4m, 31.2 million No. 38, Sergio Ramos, Soccer, Spain, 13, $4m, 28.7 million No. 44, Marcelo Vieira, Soccer, Brazil, 4, $3.2m, 33.8 million No. 48, Radamel Falcao, Soccer, Brazil, 4, $4m, 16.9 million No. 52, Sergio Aguero, Soccer, Argentina, 1, $6m, 28.7 million No. 53, David De Gea, Soccer, Spain, 3, $7m, 11.8 million No. 55, Paulo Dybala, Soccer, Argentina, 4, $4.03m, 24.7 million No. 56, Dani Alves, Soccer, Brazil, 2, $8.75m, 21.5 million No. 61, Philippe Coutinho, Soccer, Brazil, 15, $3.1m, 19.3 million No. 62, David Luiz, Soccer, Brazil, 1, $1.3m, 24.9 million No. 65, Carmelo Anthony, Basketball, USA, 6, $7m, 9.1 million No. 66, Gerard Pique, Soccer, Spain, 5, $3.8m, 18.6 million No. 68, Canelo Alvarez, Boxing, Mexico, 44, $2.5m, 4 million No. 72, Alexis Sanchez, Soccer, Chile, 24, $3.8m, 9.6 million No. 79, Cesc Fabregas, Soccer, Spain, 1, $5m, 10.3 million No. 80, Gonzalo Higuain, Soccer, Argentina, 7, $6m, 6.8 million No. 81, Isco, Soccer, Spain, 2, $5m, 16.4 million No. 88, Javier Hernandez, Soccer, Mexico, 6, $9.9m, 5.1 million
It looks like Alexis Sanchez is preparing for a big reveal…
The 29-year-old Chilean soccer player is reportedly about to be unveiled as a Manchester United player after passing a medical, according to ESPN FC.
Sanchez was at the club’s Carrington training headquarters on Sunday to tie up the final details of his move from Arsenal.
He’s set to be announced as United’s latest signing — with Henrikh Mkhitaryan heading to the Emirates — in the next 48 hours.
After flying to Manchester on a private jet and visiting Carrington, Sanchez was also at Old Trafford on Sunday to film segments for his unveiling while wearing United’s No. 7 shirt.
And pictures have leaked on Twitter of the player in his new kit, the images taken by someone watching on from the stands.
He’s expected to sign a four-and-a-half-year deal with Man United, while both Mkhitaryan and Sanchez will need new work permits before the deal can be completed.
Sources have told ESPN FC that the agreement between United and Arsenal is a straight swap with no additional fee involved.
According to sources close to the deal, it has been especially complicated because talks with Sanchez and Mkhitaryan have had to run simultaneously.
Jose Mourinho has given his players two days off following their 1-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday. Mourinho said after the game that the move is “so close.”
Sanchez is in line to train with his new teammates on Tuesday before a debut against Yeovil in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday night.
It looks like Alexis Sanchez may be part of the arsenal for much longer…
Arsenal Football Club officials are ready to sit down and offer the 26-year-old soccer star a lucrative, new long-term contract, according to ESPN FC.
Sanchez enjoyed a stellar debut campaign with the Gunners last season, helping them win the Emirates Football Association Challenge Cup, known as the FA Cup, following his big-money arrival from Barcelona.
Sanchez has established himself as one of manager Arsene Wenger‘s key players and the club is keen to reward him for the impact he has made with a new contract.
Sanchez’s current deal expires in 2018, but the Arsenal are ready to offer him improved terms as they do not want their top stars entering the final two years of their contracts.
The Gunners are so determined to keep the forward in North London that they are prepared to make him the highest-paid player at the club.
Talks are expected to take place between Arsenal and Sanchez’s advisers before Christmas as they look to tie him to a new deal as soon as possible.
After a slow start to the season following a summer in which he helped Chile win the Copa America, Sanchez has been back to his best in recent weeks — he followed up his hat trick against Leicester with a goal against Olympiakos and a brace in the 3-0 win against Manchester United earlier this month.
Alexis Sanchez is kicking his way into the history books…
The 26-year-old Chilean soccer player, who plays for English club Arsenal and the Chilean national team, helped lead his country to its first Copa America title on Saturday.
Chile defeated Argentina 4-1 in the penalty shootout, which followed two hours of scoreless action on the field.
Sanchez gave his country the win after Argentines Gonzalo Higuain and Ever Banega failed to convert from 11 meters (36 feet), ending a drought of nearly 100 years for La Roja in the oldest international continental soccer competition.
The final at Santiago’s National Stadium was a clash of titans, an intense battle that was characterized more by the teams’ effort and hustle than artful play.
Chile won the possession battle from the outset, imposing its ball-control style against a side that also typically dominates in that facet of the game.
That led to a golden opportunity in the 11th minute for Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal, who received a ball that had been lobbed in the air on a deflection by an Argentine defender and nearly booted it past goalkeeper Sergio Romero, who was forced to make a diving save.
Fourteen-time Copa America champion Argentina also had some chances in the first half, including a header at point-blank range by Sergio “Kun” Agüero that Chilean Claudio Bravo was able to deflect out of play.
In the second half, Argentine midfielders Lucas Biglia and Javier Mascherano struggled to impose any order in their team’s attack, rendering super-striker Lionel Messi unable to work any playmaking magic.
With the Chilean crowd urging them on, Jorge Sampaoli’s squad aggressively sought out the winning goal and was nearly rewarded for their efforts when a shot by Sanchez barely missed the mark in the 82nd minute.
Then on the final play of regulation, Argentina had its best scoring opportunity of the match when Ezequiel Lavezzi received the ball on the left side from Messi and sent a pass that scooted past Bravo and found Higuain, but the Argentine forward received the ball too close to the goal line and could only slam a shot into the side of the net.
The extra period was mostly uneventful, with both teams wary of making a costly error, although a miscue by Mascherano nearly ended in a goal for Sanchez in the 15th minute.
Argentine’s offensive ineptness continued in the penalty shootout, with Higuain sending his shot far over the crossbar and Bravo denying Banega’s attempt, leaving Messi as the only member of the Albiceleste to score.
Sanchez put the finishing touch on the historic victory with a soft strike that slowly bounded into the left half of the goal after Romero had dived to the other side.
Chile finally won the Copa America title match in its fifth appearance to end nearly a century of frustration at this event, which was known as the South American Championship between 1916 and 1967.
La Roja finished runner-up in 1955 (when it was also the host nation), 1956, 1979 and 1987.
Júlio César is being heralded as Brazil’s saving grace…
The 34-year-old Brazilian footballer, the national team’s goalkeeper, emerged as Brazil’s hero on Saturday after Brazil squeaked past Chile 3-2 in a penalty shootout to advance to the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.
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After the teams played to a 1-1 draw over 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time at Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, César – a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer (MLS) club Toronto FC – stopped penalty kicks by Mauricio Pinilla and Alexis Sanchez. The match then ended when Gonzalo Jara’s blast clanked off the post.
Brazil’s shootout goals came from David Luiz, Marcelo and finally Neymar, who calmly fired a strike into the left part of the goal after first trying to gauge where Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo would be moving.
The match was played on even terms until the 18th minute, when David Luiz scored from just a few feet away from the goal line after Thiago Silva headed the ball his way following a corner kick.
It initially appeared that the ball had gone in the net off Jara’s foot.
Chile got the equalizer in the 32nd minute when Eduardo Vargas took advantage of a Brazilian defensive blunder and centered the ball to Alexis Sanchez, who fired a perfectly placed strike past a diving César.
Brazil then had a couple of chances before halftime, but a header by Neymar was deflected away by Jara and then a blast off the foot of Fred sailed over the crossbar.
In the 54th minute, Hulk appeared to score the go-ahead goal when he received a cross and fired a shot past Bravo. But English referee Howard Webb waived it off and gave the forward a yellow card, ruling that he had lowered the ball with his arm.
Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari then sent on Jo and Ramires to replace Fred and Fernandinho, respectively, but they were unable to provide the creative spark needed to break down Chile’s resistance.
Bravo’s heroics also were key to keeping the match tied, as he stopped a header from Neymar and a powerful strike from Hulk before the end of the second half.
In extra time, Brazil dominated ball possession but had no answer for Chile’s all-out defensive tactics.
La Roja also proved dangerous with the few chances it had, with Pinilla blasting a shot off the crossbar shortly before the end of extra time.
With the win, the Brazilians, who are seeking their sixth World Cup title, advance to a quarterfinal match on July 4 against Colombia, which defeated Uruguay 2-0.
The 26-year-old Argentine footballer, a record-setting four-time Ballon d’Or winner,broke Futbol Club Barcelona’s all-time all-game goals count with a hat trick in the team’s 7-0 La Liga rout of Osasuna.
The previous tally of 369 goals had managed to stand for 87 years, and been held by Philippines-born striker Paulino Alcantara, who scored 142 official goals and 227 in friendly games in an era before the Spanish league had been formally established.
Messi’s latest feat raised his count to 371 goals [344 in official games and 27 in friendlies], at just 26 years of age and in less than nine years as a first-team player.
Monday’s local newspapers celebrated the achievement, with Mundo Deportivo going with a simple ‘Legend — 371 goals’ on its front page. Sport’s cover read ‘Historic Hat trick — Messi 371’, while inside the Catalan paper had a graphic breaking down both players’ goal-scoring feats.
Messi himself told Catalan station TV3 after the game that he had been well aware that the record was about to fall.
“I had heard everywhere that I was closing in on [Alcantara],” the Argentine said. “When you see you are close you want to do it, for what it means in the history of a club this big. A lot of years have passed since it was reached. Many more years will pass before it is overcome again.”
But he maintained that the three points, with Alexis Sanchez, Andres Iniesta, Pedro Rodriguez and Christian Tello also getting on the scoresheet, had been the day’s most important development.
“The important thing is that the team keeps winning, we have come from doing impressive things, and winning everything, and we deserve to keep going like this,” Messi said. “I am very happy for the game we played, we came in from another good one against [Manchester] City and we had to improve the image from the last time. Since the game against Valladolid we received a lot of harsh criticism. We know that we were not good, but this gives us confidence again.”
Messi also said that he now felt fully over his recent injury issues, and dismissed recent speculation which had suggested he was considering a transfer this summer.
“I feel good, in the last two weeks each time I feel better, I hope I can keep going like this,” Messi said. “The injury is passed now and forgotten, I am picking up rhythm and confidence. As long as the people want I will stay here. My intention is to retire with this Barca jersey. I am happy here.”
Iniesta told Canal Plus pitchside reporter that there was little left to say about a player unique in football history.
“It has all been more than said,” the midfielder said. “All the adjectives come up short. You must congratulate him and congratulate Barca for having a unique player.”
Next for Messi could be the all-time ‘clasico’ goalscoring mark held by Real Madrid’s Alfredo Di Stefano [19], which will fall if he scores at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu next Sunday. Also within range is the Champions League tally currently held by another former Blancos hero Raul Gonzalez [71], which Messi needs just four more goals to match.
Sanchez is joining the club on a free transfer.
