Why Manchester City were happy for Manchester United to sign Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez has been struggling since moving to Manchester United from Arsenal. However, he could have face a different scenario if he joined Manchester City. The Chile international was expected to link up with Manchester City before United dramatically swooped in and lured him to Old Trafford. According to the Telegraph, the Etihad hierarchy were concerned at the huge wages Sanchez was commanding. They feared that by paying the 30-year-old the £500,000-a-week he craved, their wage structure would be significantly challenged and could have led to conflict among their squad. "We looked carefully at the situation and felt that if we paid Sanchez what he was asking we would have had a queue of players lining up demanding so much more and that presented a risk to dressing room harmony in addition to financial concerns," a source told the Telegraph. United’s problems run deeper Manchester City’s ducking out of signing him can be viewed as a lucky escape. They are struggling to tie prized asset David de Gea down to a new deal, with the Spaniard desiring wages akin to the Chilean.

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