Arsenal and Manchester United agree straight swap deal with Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan

KEY POINTS

Sanchez will move to United and Mkhitaryan will move to Arsenal with no fee involved.
The Armenian international is due for a medical on Sunday, 21 January.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has agreed a move to Arsenal which will trigger a rare straight swap deal that will see Manchester United sign Alexis Sanchez.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger also recently confirmed that a swap deal involving Sanchez and Mkhitaryan was likely to be completed.

However, it had been previously claimed by the Armenian international's agent Mina Raiola that a United move for the Chilean forward hinged on whether Mkhitaryan would accept the switch to north London.

According to the Mirror, Mkhitaryan has now agreed terms for a move to the Emirates Stadium and is already in London for a medical to take place on Sunday, 21 January, to finalise his transfer.

Meanwhile, United will get their man in Sanchez without the addition of a transfer fee, which was previously expected in the swap deal.

The 29-year-old had already agreed a bumper four-and-a-half year deal worth at least £400,000 per week ($554,400 per week) that blew previous favourites and neighbouring rivals Manchester City out of the reckoning.

The same report understands that Sanchez, who missed Arsenal's 4-1 demolition of Crystal Palace, left the team hotel on Friday, 19 January, night to complete his medical in Manchester.

United manager Jose Mourinho confirmed after his side's 1-0 win at Burnley on Saturday that a deal for the Chile international is "so close" as he expects it to be completed soon.

"If you ask me if I think he is coming, I think so, but I have no confirmation," Mourinho said.

"Expect soon or never. So close, so close, so close, if it doesn't happen, it is not going to happen. I know my people are doing absolutely everything they can. I think they will be successful."

Sanchez will leave Arsenal with two FA Cup titles, having scored 80 goals in 165 games in all competitions in a three-and-a-half-year spell.

Mkhitaryan, meanwhile, will leave United after just a season-and-a-half, with the 28-year-old winning an EFL Cup and a Europa League title.