Transfer round-up: Sanchez expected to depart the Emirates within 48 hours

Arsene Wenger has confirmed that a deal taking Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United is “likely to happen” and that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will move to Arsenal in exchange.

Asked if Sanchez’s move to Old Trafford was close, Gunners boss Wenger replied: “I’ve worked on transfers for 30 years, so it is likely to happen. It is now in the next 24 to 48 hours that it will happen or not.

“But at any moment, at any minute, things can break down. That’s how the transfer market is. As long as it’s not over the line, you have to accept that it can as well not happen. These kind of things are never guaranteed.”

“We played many times against him when he was at Dortmund. He certainly appreciated the quality of our game and the way we play football. That’s why certainly he loves the club as well.”

While it has been otherwise quiet on the transfer front, Stoke and their new manager Paul Lambert have brought left-back Kostas Stafylidis to the Potteries on loan from Augsburg.

The 24-year-old becomes the second new addition to Stoke’s squad of the current transfer window – right-back Moritz Bauer having already joined on a permanent deal from Rubin Kazan – and the first since Lambert’s appointment as Potters manager.

And could Daniel Sturridge being heading to Seville in sunny Spain? Reports say the Liverpool striker is in demand, with Serie A title hopefuls Inter Milan ready to rival Sevilla in any loan swoop for Sturridge.

North of the border now and Hearts have brought Steven Naismith to Tynecastle after reaching a loan arrangement with Norwich.