Alexis Sánchez will not play for Arsenal at Bournemouth later today and latest reports suggest the player prefers a move to Manchester United over Manchester City.

Sanchez has been pushing for a move away from Arsenal for a while but earlier indications showed he was in fact, keen to move to City to reunite with former boss Pep Guardiola. However, recent reports suggest otherwise.

The Chilean will find himself more indispensable at United, despite City in a better position in the league and consequently with a better shot at trophies. Guardiola has a formidable attacking arsenal at his disposal and while Sanchez will add a lot more quality to it, he could not be assured of a starting spot every time with Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva all vying for starting positions. Even so, the player’s own preference to play under former boss Guardiola again meant City were in the pole position to land the player.

However, United have moved ahead of their city rivals, as they’re offering a more lucrative package to Arsenal, along with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has struggled to establish himself at United.

Replacing a player as talented as Sanchez could be tough for the side, especially in January, and getting Mkhitaryan would certainly ease the struggle of finding someone proven for not an astounding amount of money. While Mkhitaryan has struggled to establish a place in Mourinho’s plans, he is a quality player and his opening period at United showed it wasn’t difficult for him to adjust to the Premier League.