Man Utd’s deal to sign Alexis Sanchez worth around £180 million as they offer him £14m a year after tax

Manchester United’s breathtaking deal to sign Alexis Sanchez is worth around £180 million after the forward agreed a four-and-a-half-year contract.

Sanchez is now just waiting to find out if Henrikh Mkhitarayn will give the green light on a switch in the other direction to Arsenal, which would trigger his move to Old Trafford.

The 29 year-old will be paid £14m a year after tax – just under £27m a year before tax – to join United, on top of his £30m valuation, £20m signing-on fee, and an agents’ fee worth more than £10m.

That all adds up to around £180m for a player who had entered the final six months of his Arsenal contract and goes some way to explaining why Manchester City walked away from negotiations.

Manchester United are battling rivals City for Alexis Sanchez… but where would the Arsenal star fit in best?

Manchester United have joined the race to sign Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez

Manchester United have sensationally joined the race to sign Alexis Sanchez by tabling an offer in the region of £25million for the Arsenal star.

Rivals City looked to be front-runners for Sanchez and have made a £20m bid of their own for the Chilean, whose Emirates contract runs out at the end of the season, but now face competition from Jose Mourinho‘s side.

But which side of Manchester would Sanchez fit in best? Who would he rather play for out of Mourinho and Pep Guardiola? And what could Arsenal get back in return?  Sportsmail have answered the burning questions as the Manchester clubs prepare to do battle for Sanchez’s signature.

Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal have received no transfers bids for Alexis Sanchez

The Arsenal star is expected to leave the club either in January or when his contract expires in the summer. City have been the frontrunners for Sanchez’s signature ever since the Sky Blues failed with a summer bid to sign the Chilean.

Arsenal had accepted City’s offer for Sanchez, but pulled the plug on the deal on deadline day when Monaco winger Thomas Lemar turned down a move to the Emirates. Wenger has a season-defining game on Wednesday night against Chelsea, but fielded questions about Sanchez’s future at the pre-match press conference.