Alexis Sánchez reveals he nearly joined Man City before choosing Man United in 2018

Alexis Sánchez has opened up about how close he came to joining Manchester City before completing his 2018 switch to Manchester United. He described speaking with Pep Guardiola daily and feeling a strong bond from their Barcelona connection, only for the deal to collapse at the final hurdle as United stepped in decisively. The Chilean’s recollection revives one of the Premier League’s biggest near-misses, reshaping how fans view that winter window and the derby dynamics it altered. It also spotlights the contrasting project pitches of Guardiola’s City and José Mourinho’s United during a defining recruitment tug-of-war.

In a recent in-depth conversation, Alexis Sánchez revisited the decisive weeks of the 2018 winter window, explaining close contact with Pep Guardiola and how a late swing led him to Manchester United instead of Manchester City. The forward emphasized Guardiola’s personal outreach, rooted in their time at Barcelona, and reflected on how the move pivoted amid shifting priorities and negotiations in Manchester. The recollection arrives years after the player-trade dynamics and financials of that period shaped the landscape for both clubs, offering fresh insight from the protagonist at the heart of the saga.

🚨🗣️ Alexis Sanchez almost joined Man City before completing a move to Man United in 2018: "I was about to go to City. I spoke to [Pep] Guardiola every day, he told me happy birthday. He was like my dad, He was my dad at Barcelona, and he was like my dad at City. We talked, we

@UtdXclusive

Impact Analysis

Sánchez’s account adds crucial context to one of the Premier League’s most debated transfer pivots. From a tactical lens, the Chilean’s hybrid role—capable of attacking inside channels while pressing from the front—seemed tailored to Guardiola’s positional play. At City, he would likely have rotated across the frontline, supporting a high-press structure with aggressive counter-press triggers, potentially accelerating their attacking depth and injury insurance across a multi-front campaign.

At United, however, the 2018 move embodied an era defined by statement signings. José Mourinho sought direct end-product and hard running from wide areas to stabilize transitions and add cutting edge. The discord between the squad’s profile, the club’s wage structure, and the tactical clarity required for Sánchez to thrive ultimately framed the move as a cautionary tale in fit over fanfare.

Strategically, the retelling underscores modern recruitment lessons: elite clubs must align player traits with manager methodology, and avoid late-window emotional decisions that distort wage hierarchies. For United’s current structure, it reads as a case study supporting a data-led, profile-first approach. For City, it highlights how marginal gains—one more elite attacker integrated into Guardiola’s system—can tilt title races. The derby stakes of 2018 were enormous; Sánchez’s hindsight illuminates how close the balance swung, reaffirming how a single decision can ripple across seasons.

Reaction

Fan discourse quickly revived the transfer’s what-ifs. A notable strand praised the contemporary stance that if a player’s preference leans elsewhere, a club should disengage swiftly—framed by supporters as a cultural reset that protects dressing-room standards and wage integrity. Others revisited José Mourinho’s tenure, arguing that although he extracted short-term structure and motivation, the recruitment skew toward marquee names arriving late in their peak complicated squad renewal and tactical cohesion.

There was also curiosity around who at City might have been displaced had Sánchez arrived, with Bernardo Silva’s name surfacing in debates from that time. The conversation drifted to academy optimism as well, with fans using current youth output as evidence that smarter pathways can outperform expensive course corrections. Amid the nostalgia, tributes to Sir Bobby Charlton reminded the community of the club’s foundational standards and legacy, contrasting the turbulence of the 2018 window with the timeless values supporters rally around. Overall, reactions blended pragmatism about recruitment processes with a sense of relief—history might have been kinder with a better fit, but the lessons now feel embedded.

Social reactions

who was the city player they are talking about i remember Bernando Silva was rumoured to leave somewhere around this time

Konsta🔰 (@UtdKonsta)

The double-eged sword of appointing Jose Mourinho. Pros - You'll get a brilliant organiser and motivator Cons - He'll demand half a billion to be spent on players with only 6 good months left in their legs!!

Lachlan (@Lachlan108lugh)

Remembering a legend of the game on his birthday. Sir Bobby Charlton ❤️

England (@England)

Prediction

Expect a renewed wave of retrospectives—podcasts, long reads, and documentary segments—dissecting how the 2018 window might have reshaped both Manchester clubs. City’s hypothetical with Sánchez likely centers on rotational depth and tactical elasticity in the front three, while United’s counterfactuals will focus on wage dynamics, role clarity, and the cascading impact on subsequent deals.

For United’s present-day leadership, Sánchez’s insight should reinforce a profile-first transfer doctrine: prioritize tactical fit, durability, and character alignment with non-negotiables. Look for refined internal guardrails—salary bands, role matrices, and KPIs linked to game model integration—to prevent distortions. Externally, fans will benchmark new signings against this lesson, demanding earlier execution in windows to avoid late bidding wars.

For City, the episode likely becomes another example of disciplined recruitment—pursue aggressively, but walk away when marginal value erodes or dressing-room balance risks tilt. The broader narrative will push both clubs to articulate their talent pathways more clearly: how youth and targeted elite additions coexist. As these reflections circulate, expect smarter market behavior and fewer blockbuster gambles that ignore tactical chemistry.

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Conclusion

Sánchez’s candid recollection reframes a pivotal derby-era decision. It was never just City versus United; it was fit versus spectacle. Guardiola’s daily touchpoints point to a footballing plan where Sánchez’s pressing, movement between lines, and elastic positioning would have dovetailed with City’s positional play. United offered scale, spotlight, and short-term impetus, but the ecosystem around him—role clarity, pressing cohesion, and stability—never fully aligned.

The enduring value of this reveal lies in its governance lessons. Recruitment must protect the wage bill from emotional spikes, and systems must elevate rather than fight a player’s natural game. Fans now read the 2018 swing as a chapter that accelerated both clubs’ evolutions: City’s adherence to profile and balance, United’s gradual shift toward process over marquee improvisation. In the end, Sánchez’s story is less regret than roadmap—proof that even near-misses and misfires can sharpen institutional memory and push elite clubs toward smarter, fitter, and more sustainable football decisions.