Barca clinch Sanchez deal

Barcelona have officially announced the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Udinese on Thursday, in a deal worth 37.5 million euros.

The Champions League and La Liga holders will pay 26 million euros up front for the forward, with an additional 11.5 million in variables.

The 22-year-old will undergo a medical and sign his new deal on Monday.

“FC Barcelona and Udinese have reached an agreement on the transfer of Alexis Sanchez. The deal is for five years,” read a statement on the club’s website.

Sanchez had been given permission to leave Chile’s preparations for the Copa America in anticipation of the transfer being finalised late in June, but the Catalan club failed to reach an agreement with Udinese and the move was put on hold.

Barcelona had hoped to negotiate a player-plus-cash deal for Sanchez, but both Bojan Krkic and Jeffren Suarez rejected moves to the Serie A side.

With Chile’s Copa America coming to an end on Sunday, the deal was agreed upon on Wednesday and announced a day later.

“He is very young, he can play in three different attacking positions, he has a lot of defensive intensity, he can unbalance a match and is, for what I have been told, a very good boy,” Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola stated on the club’s website.

Sanchez became a target for Barca during the 2010/11 season, when his explosive performances helped lead Udinese to fourth place in Serie A, earning them a place in next season’s Champions League.