Chile will allow Alexis Sanchez to travel to Barcelona

Pa
Monday 20 June 2011 10:13 BST
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Sanchez appears set to move to Barca
Sanchez appears set to move to Barca (GETTY IMAGES)

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Chile coach Claudio Borghi will allow star forward Alexis Sanchez to leave the national team's training camp ahead of the Copa America to sign for Barcelona.

Sanchez, who plays for Udinese, is close to joining the Spanish and European champions, but needs to travel to Spain in order to finalise a deal.

Borghi says Chile have no option but to allow the 22-year-old to fly to Barcelona as they could otherwise be liable to cover the cost of the transfer, reported to be around 30million euros, if Sanchez suffers a serious injury while on international duty.

"It's a very complicated matter," he told television station Chilevision.

"If we don't allow him to travel, and the sale goes through, we would be accountable for 45 million dollars in the event of anything happening to him.

"It's very simple. As soon as the confirmation of his transfer comes through, he will have the authorisation (to travel)."

Chile are currently preparing for the Copa America, which starts on July 1, and Borghi says Sanchez will not be able to travel during the tournament.

"If it happens in the middle of the Copa America, obviously not, but we have time and we know we cannot be responsible for that amount of money, so the ideal situation would be for him to travel and sign when the deal is confirmed," he said.

Borghi believes Sanchez is good enough to play for any side and reckons the youngster is remaining calm during the negotiations between Udinese and Barca.

"We have spoken about this possibility he has," Borghi said. "It's not easy. He's 22 and his transfer costs a lot of money, but he is ready to play anywhere.

"He is training to be the best. He has a little bit of anxiety but that will surely come to an end when he signs the contract."

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