Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Chile forward Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona for a fee believed to be around \u00a335 million, making him the second most expensive signing in the club’s history.<\/p>\n
The player signed a long-term contract after he passed a medical at the club on Thursday and becomes manager Arsene Wenger\u2019s first major signing of the summer.<\/p>\n
He scored 47 goals in three seasons for Barcelona and enjoyed his most prolific time at the club in the Spanish top flight last season, scoring 19 goals in a year which saw Barcelona fail to lift any major silverware.<\/p>\n
Sanchez was also part of the Chile team that reached the second round of the World Cup in Brazil, knocking out holders, Spain in the group stage before losing to the hosts on penalties.<\/p>\n
The forward had reportedly been a target for Italian champions Juventus and English club, Liverpool.<\/p>\n
The Reds had initially hoped he would be used as a make-weight in any deal taking striker Luis Suarez to the Catalan club.<\/p>\n
However, the player has opted for a move to the English capital to join Arsene Wenger\u2019s side.<\/p>\n
Last season\u2019s FA Cup winners are also hoping to tie up a deal for Newcastle\u2019s French right-back Mathieu Debuchy, who they have reportedly offered 10 million pounds for, and are still in the market for a backup goalkeeper and a midfielder.<\/p>\n
AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli has also been linked with a move to the Emirates although there is no indication how Sanchez\u2019s signing would affect any potential move for the maverick Italian.<\/p>\n
Arsene Wenger hopes to strengthen his team in order to compete for the league title, having finished fourth last season despite being top for most of the campaign.<\/p>\n
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By: Edwin Kwakofi\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Chile forward Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona for a fee believed to be around \u00a335 million, making him the second most expensive signing in the club’s history. The player signed a long-term contract after he passed a medical at the club on Thursday and becomes manager Arsene Wenger\u2019s first major […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":31089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[139,29,3,242,1648],"yoast_head":"\n