Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Barcelona were embroiled in more than one lengthy transfer saga this summer, you know. Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Juvenuts and Inter Milan were all linked with the winger this summer, but there was only one place that the 22-year-old was going to end up.

The transfer was a long, drawn-out affair featuring plenty of rhetoric from Udinese's management, stony silence from Barca and the player almost leaving Chile's pre-Copa America training camp in order to complete the deal.

In the end Sanchez stayed in Argentina for the full build-up to the July tournament. He scored the equaliser in the 1-1 draw with eventual champions Uruguay as Chile reached the knockout phase.

Little more than a week after La Roja were eliminated at the hands of Venezuela in the quarter-finals, Sanchez was doing keep-ups in front of fans at the Camp Nou as the European champions' first major signing of the summer.

Sanchez burst on to the global scene for playing his part in Chile's impressive showing at the 2010 World Cup, and he followed that up with an outstanding third season at Udinese. His 12 goals - including four in one match against Palermo - and eight assists in Serie A last term were a major factor in the Zebrette finishing fourth in the league. He leaves the northern Italian club just a victory over two legs against Arsenal away from a place in the Champions League group stage.

Sanchez fits the Barca profile perfectly. He is diminutive (standing at just 5'5"), possesses bags of pace and outrageous skill and can play on either flank or behind the striker. He will face plenty of competition for a place in one of the greatest club sides in living memory, but he looks every inch a megastar in the making.



*BLEACHER REPORT