Gary Neville wants Manchester United to try and sign Alexis Sanchez.

Neville believes that his former club needs to be challenging for the best players in the world, i.e. Alexis.

Jose Mourinho is reportedly confident that he can personally persuade the Chilean to sign for the red side of Manchester when his Arsenal contract runs out next year and Neville is obviously all for the move.

“Manchester United, in my mind, should always be challenging for the best players in the world,” the pundit told Sky Sports News at the launch of University Academy 92.

“The argument is that always Barcelona and Real Madrid if they do want someone they will get them and that has played itself out over the last 10/15 years but United are now financially challenging. They are paying the sums they need to pay to attract the best players in the world.

“I’ve not seen the Alexis Sanchez news, so you have given me something I haven’t heard before, but, from that point of view, United, from a general perspective, should always be challenging for the best players in the world and bringing them in.”

Given that Manchester City failed to sign the 28-year-old this summer, even after a reported offer of £60m, it could cause waves if Mourinho persuades him to sign for United instead.

The ball is essentially in Arsenal’s court right now.

Alexis is never going to sign a new deal. That ship hasn’t just sailed – it’s sunk. Therefore, they either allow him to leave for free next summer, which Arsene Wenger insists is the plan, or they sell him in January and at least have some control over where the forward goes.

Would the Gunners rather their ‘star’ player, who scored in Arsenal’s Europa League win over FC Koln last Thursday, leave for a rival team? Or would they rather offload him on the cheap to a team like PSG, Bayern Munich or Juventus in January?

As a fan, I know which one I’d rather.