Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that Alexis Sanchez will leave the club permanently to join Inter Milan.
Sanchez joined the Serie A side last summer on a season-long loan deal and initially struggled to make an impact following his switch to Italy. However, the Chilean has been in inspired form following the enforced break from action as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and Inter expressed their desire to keep him permanently.
MEN Sport revealed last week that Inter were confident of a deal for the 31-year-old and club chief executive Beppe Marotta confirmed prior to United's game against LASK that the transfer would be made official on Thursday.
"Unofficially, we’ll make it official tomorrow morning," Marotta said. "The player is entirely owned by Inter. We have a contract with him for three seasons. We believe in him, that he can be a strong part of this squad and are happy to have concluded this deal."
Speaking after the win at Old Trafford, Solskjaer confirmed that Sanchez would depart and wished him well for the future.
"Yeah, I believe so," he told BT Sport when asked whether reports claiming the deal was done were true. "He's had a good time over there and he's a good player. We wish him all the best."
Inter paid 75 per cent of Sanchez's £400,000 weekly net wages during his loan and will pay the entirety of his new salary following his permanent move.
United's eagerness to shift Sanchez permanently has been intensified by their desire to sign long-time target Jadon Sancho, 20. Sanchez was United's highest earner on £400,000-a-week net and the club has had to sell players to buy in recent years.
