Man Utd baller Alexis Sanchez hit with prison sentence

Alexis Sanchez has been handed a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud in Spain.

Manchester United’s new signing accepted the punishment for defrauding the tax authorities of £900,000 during his time at Barcelona.

Sanchez, 29, will not have to go to prison because it is his first offence and the sentence is less than two years.

But the Manchester United star will not have to go to prison as it is his first offence

But the Chile star, who is the highest paid player in the Premier League, on £350,000-a-week, must pay a fine of £525,000 in addition to the tax he owed on image rights earnings over his three years at the Nou Camp. 

The court heard that Sanchez set up a company called Numidia Trading in Malta to avoid paying the tax between 2012 and 2013, having moved his earnings from a Chile-based company called Inversiones Alsan.

Sanchez is the latest big name to become embroiled in the tax investigation into leading figures in Spanish football.

Sanchez is one of a number of big football names to become embroiled in tax investigations

United manager Jose Mourinho remains under investigation over £2.94m of unpaid contributions despite claiming at a court hearing in November that his financial affairs are in order.

Sanchez’s former Barca teammate Lionel Messi was given a 21-month prison sentence in 2016, but exchanged it for a £223,000 fine last year.

Javier Mascherano and Ricardo Carvalho both settled after being given suspended prison sentences, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s case over unpaid taxes of £13m is ongoing.

Jose Mourinho remains under investigation over £2.94m of unpaid contributions