Higuain-Bonucci, Ibrahimovic-Eto'o and the biggest swap deals in football

With Juventus and AC Milan considering a surprise player-exchange, Goal looks back at the most sensational trades in the history of the game

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  Sanchez-Mkhitaryan: Man United-Arsenal

  After almost joining Manchester City on deadline day in the summer of 2017 and then agreeing personal terms ahead of a seemingly inevitable January move to the Etihad, Alexis Sanchez stunned Pep Guardiola & Co. by moving to Old Trafford instead.

  Manchester United’s offer to make the former Arsenal ace the best-paid player in the Premier League proved enough to turn the Chilean’s head, while the Gunners were happy to get a ready-made replacement in Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Ultimately, everybody seems to have got what they want… apart from City.  

  However, Guardiola's side enjoyed the last laugh, winning the Premier League title by a record-breaking 19 points from second-placed United, with Alexis struggling horribly to justify his lofty wage. 

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  Eto’o-Ibrahimovic: Inter-Barcelona

  Barcelona won just about everything it was possible to win in 2009, but Pep Guardiola took the rather strange decision to remove a key component from that all-conquering team by sending Samuel Eto’o to San Siro as part of a €69.5 million (£56m) deal for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

  Eto’o, who had been bizarrely valued at just €20m, would win a second successive treble in 2010, but this time with the Nerazzurri rather than the Blaugrana, while Ibrahimovic lasted just one season at Camp Nou, after an infamous falling-out with Guardiola.

  Indeed, as he later admitted in his autobiography, Zlatan once told his Catalan coach: "You have no balls!"

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  Matic-Luiz: Benfica-Chelsea

  Having given Nemanja Matic just three senior appearances, Chelsea agreed to let a highly-rated midfielder head to Benfica in January 2011 as part of a €25m (£21m) deal for enigmatic Brazilian defender David Luiz.

  After Jose Mourinho returned as manager, the Blues quickly moved to rectify their mistake, stumping up another €25m (£21m) to bring Matic back to west London in 2014.

  Chelsea have also sold and re-signed Luiz since then, while moving Matic out once more to Manchester United for an estimated £40m in the summer of 2017, much to the bemusement of the club's fans.

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  Gallas-Cole: Arsenal-Chelsea

  Back in the summer of 2006, William Gallas wanted out of Chelsea – amid accusations that he had threatened to score own goals if he was not allowed to leave (something he later refuted) – and Ashley Cole was looking for an upgrade to his bank balance.

  The solution to this problem? A swap deal which would also see Arsenal net £5m for their England international left-back.

  Cole went on to win everything at Stamford Bridge, while Gallas threw the odd strop with the Gunners before crossing north London to join Tottenham.