Alexis Sanchez claims he'd have won the Champions League for Man City, reveals why he joined Man Utd instead

Alexis Sanchez has claimed Manchester City would have won the Champions League by now if he had joined them instead of Manchester United.

Sanchez, 34, left Arsenal in January 2018 to sign for United in a swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move the opposite way to the Emirates.

Hopes were high that Sanchez would replicate the same form he showed at Arsenal, where he managed 80 goals in 166 appearances.

But the Chilean never got going at Old Trafford, managing only five goals in 45 appearances for the Red Devils before moving on to Inter Milan in 2021 after spending a season on loan at San Siro.

Sanchez has now revealed that he came close to joining City instead of United, with his former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola keen to reunite with the player at the Etihad.

But he says he turned down City after being offered the iconic No 7 shirt at Old Trafford, previously worn by the likes of Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and George Best.

Sanchez: I would have won City the CL

"I was about to go to City. I spoke to 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," Sanchez told TVN as reported by La Tercera and Sport Witness.

"We talked, we talked every day, he sent me messages. And everything was ready, there was a player who was going to go to Arsenal. Then Wenger tells me you are not leaving because the other player did not want to come and they do not have another.

"Suddenly the cell phone rings. Mourinho tells me: 'Alexis, here is the seven available for you.'

"It wasn't a money thing, so everyone knows. It was the same with United and City. And he said to me here is the seven, we are playing in the Champions League and we are going to give everything. I wanted to leave at that moment, but I had Guardiola's word.

"That's when I said to myself, Chilean footballer playing for Manchester United, something that has never happened. With the seven of Cantona, Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and now a Chilean had it, it was a dream.

"I don't regret going to United, things happen for a reason. I would have liked to have gone to City, yes. We would have won the Champions League by now. In the [2021 Champions League] final I would have done something."

After leaving United, Sanchez spent two further seasons with Milan before joining French club Marseille at the start of the current campaign.

He has proved to be a successful signing for Marseille, scoring 16 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions to help the club challenge for the Ligue 1 title.

They are currently seven points behind bitter rivals PSG, with 10 games remaining in the Ligue 1 season.