Alexis Sanchez will finally become a Manchester United player after Henrikh Mkhitaryan agreed to join Arsenal in a swap deal.

Mkhitaryan said a tearful farewell to his team-mates and club staff on Friday lunchtime as the final obstacle to United signing Sanchez was removed.

The Armenian’s switch has been holding up negotiations after his agent Mino Raiola warned that he could scupper the Sanchez deal.

Manchester United's Henrikh Mkhitaryan has bid farewell to his Old Trafford team-mates

He arrived at training earlier in the day on Friday, but finalised his move to London later on

United boss Jose Mourinho and the team arrived at the Lowry Hotel on Friday afternoon

But an hour after Jose Mourinho confirmed Mkhitaryan would be left out of United’s squad to face Burnley, MailOnline revealed that the player had said an emotional goodbye after his final United training session. ‘It was very tearful,’ said a source. ‘Henrikh has been a very popular figure here at United.

‘We know he isn’t too happy with the way this deal has been forced upon him.

‘He realises he has more chance of playing at Arsenal, but he would have preferred to leave on his own terms.’

Just when the Sanchez saga finally seemed to be hurtling towards a conclusion, there was a further twist on Friday night as Sportsmail learned Arsene Wenger was giving serious consideration to including the forward in his match-day squad to face Crystal Palace. Wenger was mulling over naming Sanchez on the bench, and will make a decision this morning.

The Frenchman axed Sanchez from the Arsenal squad to face Bournemouth last Sunday because of his pending move.

The Portuguese held a PlayStation 4 controller – perhaps to test new formations on FIFA?

Given the vast finances attached to the deal, Sanchez playing any part on Saturday could jeopardise a transfer if the Chilean is injured. But with three points at stake, Wenger could decide to have Sanchez on the bench as an option if the game isn’t going his way.

Danny Welbeck sustained an injury in training on Thursday and, with Mesut Ozil only returning to full training on Friday after an inflamed knee problem, Arsenal are short of attacking options.

Sanchez had been working with Arsenal’s development squad this week, but returned to senior training on Friday.

United will pay £35million for Sanchez — a £20m transfer fee to Arsenal and £15m to the player’s agent Fernando Felicevich. Sanchez will earn £350,000 a week plus an extra £100,000 a week for image rights over the course of a four-and-a-half-year contract. He will also receive £7.5m a year for four years as a signing-on fee.

Part of the reason Arsenal have agreed to sell the 29-year-old to United is because they wanted Mkhitaryan, who was linked with the Gunners before he joined United for £26m from Borussia Dortmund 18 months ago.

The squad came together to finalise preparations for Burnley, but there was no Mkhitaryan

Mkhitaryan's exit now gives Alexis Sanchez the green light to make the move to Old Traddord

Sanchez trained with Arsenal on Friday as he waited for his deal to come to fruition

United’s valuation of Mkhitaryan is also £35m but negotiations over a straight swap have dragged on owing to the complexities of the deal. Mkhitaryan earns £140,000 a week at United and is set for an increase that will make him the highest earner at Arsenal.

Mourinho insisted that signing Sanchez in this window should not be interpreted as a panic buy or sign of weakness in his squad, and more a reflection of the player’s quality.

‘For me, the point of the January transfer window is to help the clubs that didn’t work well in the summer,’ said the United boss. ‘Because of that, we don’t like to do business in January because it shows that we didn’t give our best.

‘But if you have the chance to get some special players, some player that you could do (next) summer and you have the chance to do it now, that’s a special situation and you try to do it.

Sanchez trained with Arsenal on Friday as he was made to wait for his Old Trafford switch

The Chile forward was set to play against Crystal Palace at the Emirates as he waits on move

But with Mkhitaryan now seeminly out the door, Sanchez is closer than ever to his switch

‘It is not the point of lacking something or we desperately need something. It is just thinking about the improvement of the team.’

United hijacked Sanchez’s proposed move to Manchester City after their rivals thought they had a deal in place with Arsenal to reunite the former Barcelona forward with Pep Guardiola. Chelsea and Liverpool are also believed to have expressed an interest in signing him.

City are thought to be unhappy that the terms of the agreement changed, and Guardiola confirmed that the Premier League leaders were not prepared to shatter their wage structure to accommodate Sanchez’s demands.

‘Normally we try to be stable with the wages of the players because I think it is good for the team and stability of the club,’ said the City manager.

‘I’ve never put pressure on a club when they believe it is too much. Immediately I accept that decision and move forward to find another solution. The stability of the club is the most important thing.’

Meanwhile, Mourinho confirmed that Michael Carrick has accepted an invitation to join United’s coaching staff at the end of the season. Carrick, who will be 37 in July, had minor heart surgery after feeling unwell following a Carabao Cup tie against Burton Albion in September.