Fenerbahce are reportedly closing in on a deal for former Premier League star Alexis Sanchez in a move that could see him reunited with Jose Mourinho.
Sanchez, 36, is best known to English fans for his time with Arsenal and Manchester United.
The Chilean spent last season with Udinese after previously playing for the club between 2006 and 2011, but he battled with fitness issues and failed to contribute a goal or assist.
And, according to Italian outlet Gazzetta, Sanchez’s second spell with the Serie A outfit may be coming to an end.
The report claims that Fenerbahce have offered Sanchez a one-year contract worth €4million (£3.5m).
As part of the deal, there would be the automatic option of a second year for Sanchez if either of two criteria are reached.
It is said that if the forward features in 70 per cent of the minutes Fenerbahce play next season or contributes a cumulative 15 goals or assists, that second year would be activated.
The report goes on to add that while Udinese are not back in pre-season training until Thursday, all roads point towards Sanchez exiting the club this summer.
If the 36-year-old was to complete a move to Fenerbahce, he would be reunited with Mourinho, the manager who signed him at United in 2018.
At the time, big things were expected of Sanchez after he had scored 80 goals and added 44 assists in 166 games for Arsenal.
Sanchez joined on a mega-money deal worth up to £600,000-a-week in wages and he was described as ‘one of the best attacking players in the world’ by Mourinho.
However, Sanchez struggled to replicate his form at Old Trafford and netted just five times over one-and-a-half seasons until he joined Inter Milan, initially on loan.
Speaking in 2019 after Sanchez had moved on, Mourinho, who himself was sacked in late 2018, gave an explanation for the forward’s struggles.
‘Sanchez… I felt him [to be] not a happy man,’ Mourinho told The Telegraph. ‘And I think in every job you have when you are not happy it is not so easy to perform at every level. And maybe I am wrong.
‘Maybe it was me who was not capable to get into him and to get the best out of him.’
Since exiting United for Inter, Sanchez has also represented Marseille before he enjoyed a second spell at the San Siro until he moved back to Udinese.
Meanwhile, Mourinho’s Fenerbahce side came second in the Turkish Super Lig for the fourth season in a row in 2024-25, meaning the Turkish giants haven’t won a domestic title in 11 years.
They are in the midst of a busy transfer window though, with former Premier League stars Edin Dzeko and Dusan Tadic having already left the club, while Sofyan Amrabat and Jhon Duran have arrived.
