Transfer balls: David Gea should thank Alexis Sanchez for Manchester United wage hike

Transfer Balls: The BBC leads with news that Spain international De Gea wants Manchester United to offer him a five-year contract worth about £350,000 a week. Why so little? The wage will, says the Beeb, match what Alexis Sanchez earns. Odd, no. Doesn’t Sanchez earn £500,000-a-week? BBC journalist Simon Stone told us Sanchez was costing Manchester United half a million quid every week:

“#MUFC have committed to paying Sanchez £180m over four and a half years”

Wow. @sistoney67 breaks down the huge numbers behind Alexis Sanchez’s proposed move to Old Trafford. pic.twitter.com/6Sq3KpBaWe

— BBC 5 Live Sport on BBC Sounds (@5liveSport) January 18, 2018

The numbers are utter tosh, then. But the media loves to guess. The Sun says: “De Gea will then be offered a new £400,000-a-week, five-year deal.” The Mail agrees with the BBC that it’s £350,000 a week. And the Standard says the deal “could be worth up to £300,000-a-week”.

And just a few days ago Joe Bernstein told Mail readers: