Sanchez rejected City, says Udinese owner

Udinese owner Giampaolo Pozzo has revealed Alexis Sanchez turned down a transfer to Manchester City in favour of his move to Barcelona.

The Chile international signed a five-year deal at Camp Nou for an initial fee in the region of 26 million euros, with the Serie A club possibly earning a further 11 million euros if the Catalan club achieve high finishes in both La Liga and the Champions League.

However, Udinese could have received a fee of 45 million euros if Sanchez had chosen to go to City, according to Pozzo.

“The final price was 26 million euros plus another 11 million euros in variables,” Pozzo told Ona FM.

“He only wanted to sign for Barcelona and because of that the negotiations were not easy.”

“There were offers from England that were higher, a 45 million-euro one from Manchester City to be precise.”

The 22-year-old attacker has been restricted to just four appearances for Barcelona after injuring his hamstring in September.