Udinese has officially announced the signing of Alexis Sanchez, the former Barcelona, Arsenal, and Manchester United forward, who joins as a free agent following the end of his contract with Serie A champions Inter Milan.
The 35-year-old Sanchez has signed a two-year contract with Udinese, extending until June 30, 2026.
In a statement on their website, the club expressed excitement about Sanchez’s return: “Here is where he became a champion, where he fell in love with the region, where his legend began. El Niño Maravilla is back with us, once again a Bianconeri player.”
Sanchez returns to where his European career began. He first joined Udinese in 2008, though he officially signed two years earlier. His journey from Udinese led him to Barcelona in 2011, where he scored 39 league goals in 88 appearances and won La Liga, the Copa Del Rey, Supercopa de España, and the UEFA Super Cup.
In the summer of 2014, Sanchez moved to Arsenal for approximately €37m (£31.7m), becoming one of the Premier League’s top performers with 60 goals in 122 league matches.
A high-profile swap deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan saw Sanchez move to Manchester United in January 2018. However, his time at Old Trafford wasn’t as successful as his stint at Arsenal, and he found a new opportunity at Inter Milan, initially on loan for the 2019-20 season before a permanent move the following year. Sanchez helped Inter win the Serie A title in his second season under Simone Inzaghi.
After leaving Inter, Sanchez had a successful spell with Marseille in Ligue 1, scoring 14 goals in 35 appearances during the 2022-23 season. He returned to Inter for the following season, and with that contract now concluded, Sanchez has chosen to rejoin Udinese, his first European club, after 13 years.