Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho appears to have taunted rivals Manchester City for their failure to sign Alexis Sanchez.
Reports: Mourinho Wants Arsenal Star To Follow Sanchez To Man Utd
There have been suggestions the Citizens pulled out of the race for the Chile international due to the costs involved, something the Portuguese manager does not seem to believe.
"I know that if other clubs did not get him, it's not a problem of money, for sure," Mourinho said, as quoted by the Daily Express.
"You go and analyse the numbers and Manchester City spent more money than us, Chelsea spent more money than us, I think even Everton spent more money than us. I don't think that's the problem.
"Expensive or cheap? Honestly, I think it was fair. I cannot say that it was expensive because it wasn't.
"I cannot say it was cheap because if you add all the values of his contract, it's not cheap. But it is a very good deal for us and the player has a fantastic contract.
"It's a contract according to his qualities as a player and according to the situation – no transfer fee.
"We have to put things in perspective. How much would Sanchez cost in a normal transfer, club to club, as a player with two or three years left on his contract? We look at the numbers now and I would say roughly between £100 million and £150 million.
"So you put things in perspective: you go to the numbers that the club didn't pay on the transfer, you go to the numbers that the club pay in salaries, which are obviously higher than others. You get a calculator and you arrive at different conclusions.
"Alexis could have gone anywhere. He had lots of choices. I know he has a big passion for football. I know he wanted to play in a different club. He wanted to leave Arsenal for reasons I don't want to discuss."
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Sanchez is expected to make his debut for the Red Devils in the FA Cup on Friday, when Mourinho's men take on minnows Yeovil Town.
Do you think the Chilean star moved to United only for the money? Have your say in the comments section below.
