Sanchez avoids jail after guilty tax plea

MADRID - Manchester United striker Alexis Sanchez has struck a deal with Spanish authorities to accept a 16-month suspended jail sentence for tax fraud in return for avoiding a trial.

Sanchez, who joined United from Arsenal last month, faced being tried over the fraud of around $1.2 million linked to image rights during his time at Spanish giant Barcelona, according to details of the deal seen by AFP.

Prosecutors said the 29-year-old Chilean forward failed to declare any proceeds from the exploitation of his image rights in 2012 and 2013 and had also failed to declare he was the owner of a company set up in Malta, Numidia Trading Limited, which owned the rights.