Alexis Sanchez's move to Manchester United is drawing ever nearer.

The Red Devils were hoping that the swap deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan going to Arsenal would be completed before Friday's 12pm deadline, allowing the Chilean to make his debut vs Burnley.

But, that ship appears to have sailed, with both Sanchez and Mkhitaryan turning up at their usual training grounds on Friday morning.

Nevertheless, both deals should still happen, with Sanchez likely to make his debut against Yeovil in the FA Cup, while Mkhitaryan will have to wait until Arsenal's Premier League fixture away at Swansea on January 30 after they crashed out of the cup.

The deal to sign Sanchez marks a new financial landmark in the history of English football, as he prepares to sign a record-breaking £500,000-a-week contract.

United are throwing copious amounts of financial resources at the former Barcelona man, so it begs the question, could they afford to bring back Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid as well?

They could, but according to Spanish publication Marca, the impending arrival of Sanchez has completed altered Jose Mourinho's mindset on a potential package for Ronaldo, who reportedly wants out at Madrid.

RONALDO A NO-GO

Marca write: "Alexis will add to an already strong front line boasting the likes of Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata, Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

"There will be no more signings for United this month and in the summer the priorities will be central midfield and the heart of defence.

"One detail which only reinforces the fact that Ronaldo will not be returning to Manchester is that the new arrival will wear the No. 7 shirt, which had been reserved for him until now."

So, a heroic return to Old Trafford is off the table and you can understand why.

Trying to shoehorn Lukaku, Martial, Lingard, Rashford, Juan Mata and Sanchez will be difficult enough already.

The Chilean's signing will also mean Mourinho abandons his pursuits of Gareth Bale and Antoine Griezmann in the summer.