Reports in Chile suggest Manchester United preparing audacious Alexis Sanchez move

Louis van Gaal wants pace and incision up front. As he has demonstrated at Manchester United, he is willing to pay hefty prices to get his man.

Of all the ambitious transfer targets the United boss has set, this must rank right up there with Neymar. United are after a marquee forward to bolster their attack, and megastore, and van Gaal is looking to The Emirates. The Dutchman was already well aware of Sanchez' prowess but the Chilean's brilliant, goalscoring outing against United, last month, was a not-so-gentle reminder. Chilean football magazine Don Balon reports that van Gaal has made the acquisition of Sanchez a top priority for what could well be his final season at Old Trafford - 2016/17. He is infusing his United squad with young players but knows a dynamic presence is needed up front. The magazine believe United are willing to lay out £70m for the former Barcelona man but the £36m paid for unproven Anthony Martial may skew the market. Throw in fellow big-hitters Real Madrid and PSG into the mix and Sanchez' price could steadily climb in a bidding war. Sanchez is only 26 so would, most likely, deliver the goods for any team for the best part of a decade before joining 45-year-olds Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane at the David Beckham-managed LA Galaxy.