The Alexis Sanchez saga looks like it is finally coming to an end.

Arsenal's Chilean maestro has been on the verge of leaving north London for some time now, with Manchester City having a £60m rejected for him back in the summer.

With just six months left to go on his deal, Arsene Wenger was clearly aware that they would have to sell in January, with City touted as the destination.

However, in a sensational turn of events, Manchester United stole in and threw as much money as they could at Sanchez, with a deal nearing completion.

A lot of talk has centred around the £500,000-a-week contract he is set to sign with the Red Devils, with Pep Guardiola stating that he was not prepared to disrupt his squad with his expensive arrival.

However, United legend Paul Ince has stated that he believes Sanchez opted for Old Trafford simply because they're a much bigger club.

Does he have a point? Maybe, but often controversial pundit Joey Barton is not having any of it.

Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Blues midfielder Barton said: “I think Man United had to buy him.

“If Man City got him, that would be them pulling ahead and proving they are the biggest side in Manchester at this moment in time, and maybe going forward for the next couple of years.

“So it’s a big statement of intent from Man United to say, ‘look, we aren’t just going to sit back and allow Man City and Pep Guardiola to dominate’.

“You would expect that, they’ve got the financially strength to do that, as well as the expectation.

“Man United is a huge football club, there’s no doubt about it, but I really believe that if City desperately wanted Sanchez, I think they would have got him.”

He might have a point.

If City and Pep really were that desperate to boost their forward line with Sanchez, they would have done anything to get him.

Them bowing out of the race says that they do not believe the 29-year-old Chilean was worth the effort and it will be very interesting to see who they pursue in the near future.