Premier League
SANCHEZ JOINS INTER MILAN FROM MAN UNITED ON FREE TRANSFER
Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez has signed a three-year contract with Inter Milan, the Italian club announced on Thursday (Aug 6).
“Alexis Sanchez has joined the Nerazzurri on a free transfer,” the Serie A side said in a statement.
The 31-year-old, who had been on loan at Inter this season, signed a contract until June 30, 2023, the club added.
Sanchez scored four goals for Antonio Conte’s Serie A runners-up behind Juventus.
He was sidelined for nearly three months after undergoing surgery in October on tendon damage picked up while playing for Chile in a friendly against Colombia.
Sanchez joined United as part of the deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan sign for Arsenal in January 2018, but failed to make an impact at the Premier League club.
He scored five goals in 45 appearances for United before following Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku to Inter in August 2019.
“Everyone at Manchester United wishes Alexis Sanchez all the best in his future career as he joins Inter Milan on a permanent transfer,” the Premier League club said.
United had been looking to offload Sanchez, who earns around £390,000 pounds ($704,500) a week according to British media, with Inter agreeing to pay less than half his wages when they signed him on loan.
United had signed the Chile international in January 2018 after he netted 80 goals in three and a half years at Arsenal, but he failed to reach those heights at Old Trafford under both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The former Barcelona man had said last year that he had no regrets about joining United but wished he had played more minutes, even as fans were left frustrated by his performances and lack of goals.
While he did not return to his prolific best at Inter, scoring only four Serie A goals this season, he did turn provider to top the club’s charts with eight assists as they finished runners-up behind Juventus.
United are already working towards signing Sanchez’s replacement, with the club being linked with Borussia Dortmund’s promising 20-year-old forward Jadon Sancho who could cost the Premier League side around £100 million.
-AFP, Reuters
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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