Alexis Sanchez Receives 16-Month Suspended Prison Sentence for Tax Evasion
Manchester United attacker Alexis Sanchez has received a 16-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to tax evasion while playing for Barcelona between 2012 and 2013.
The Chilean made his high profile switch to Old Trafford last month, after turning down the chance to sign a new deal with Arsenal, but it seems that amidst the chaos of the January transfer window, Alexis was appearing in court via video link in order to admit to his guilt.
According to reports including the Metro, Sanchez admitted to dodging a total of €983,443 (£874,810) during his time at Camp Nou, evading the Spanish tax authority by concealing what he earned through image rights while in Catalonia.
As a result, the 29-year-old has received a suspended sentence of 16 months, meaning he won't spend any time inside a cell. Instead, the player has agreed to pay back the full amount - plus interest, to the Spanish treasury.
This isn't the first time we've heard of a Barcelona player going through the same ordeal as Alexis - with his former teammates Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi also suffering the same fate.
Messi initially received a 21-month prison sentence in 2016, which was then changed to a €252,000 (£223,000) fine in 2017.
Mascherano, on the other hand, was given a one-year sentence and €800,000 (£611,000) fine around the same time as Messi.
Alexis has played three games for the Red Devils since his January transfer, and the former Arsenal man managed his first goal against Huddersfield during his Old Trafford debut on Saturday. United are now 13 points adrift of league leaders Manchester City.
