Manchester United have just hijacked the Alexis Sanchez transfer

Ed Woodward will not sit by idly.

Manchester United are flexing their muscles and taking the full power of their name, their size and history for a test drive as they attempt to drag Alexis Sanchez away from the clutches of Pep Guardiola. The Arsenal attacker is said to have already agreed personal terms with Manchester City despite no acceptance from Arsenal of the club's £20m bid and now United are making an 11th hour swoop. According to The Guardian, Jose Mourinho is trying to convince the Chilean to come to Old Trafford with a number of sweeteners that would turn his head and grab all of Arsenal's attention. The terms would be:

• A transfer fee in the region of £25m
• A higher salary than the £250,000-a-week Sanchez has already agreed with City
• Opportunity for Arsenal to sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Sanchez was supposed to join City last summer, didn't. He was then supposed to join them this January, and he might not. It's not just a power play from United who must be itching to assert their clout over a team that were once called the noisy neighbours. It's also an opportunity to sign one of the best players in the league, stop City from signing one of the best players in the league, and improve their own attack even if it seems like he might be a player they don't exactly desperately need. Sanchez can play anywhere in attack, United can play him up front and he can play with anyone because good players can play together. It might be a long shot from the club, City will no doubt fork out the extra five million to keep Arsenal happy and Sanchez will probably want to join the soon-to-be champions anyway and actually play under a manager who wants to win some games. But why not? They're supposed to be Manchester United. These are the sort of players that they should be after.