Premier League club Arsenal have this evening announced the signing of Chile forward Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £30m.

Sanchez’s transfer represents Arsenal’s second biggest in history following Mesut Özil’s £42.5m signing from Real Madrid in August last year, with Sanchez expected to be one of the highest earning players at the London club.

The Chile international made a huge impression at the World Cup in Brazil, scoring two goals as Chile made it to the second round ahead of Spain only to lose to host nation Brazil on penalties.

In his comment after the deal was confirmed, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger stated that ”Alexis is a fantastic footballer… he has consistently produced top-quality performances at the highest level for a number of seasons now.”

The Frenchman stated further that the entire club is excited to see him join the club. ”Alexis will add power, creativity and much quality to our squad and we are all looking forward to him joining up with us in a few weeks.”

The forward on his part stated ”I’m looking forward to meeting my new team-mates and to be playing for Arsenal in the Premier League and Champions League. I will give my best to Arsenal and want to make all the supporters happy.”

Sanchez, expected to begin training at the club at the end of the month, joins Arsenal after scoring 19 goals and assisting 10 more in the Spanish league last season as Barcelona finished second behind surprise champions Atletico Madrid.

The 25 year old, who spent three seasons at the Nou Camp, won a league title as well as the 2012 Copa Del Rey during his Barcelona spell. He also won the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup with the Catalan club.

With Sanchez’s deal confirmed, Arsenal is reported to complete the signing of French full back Mathieu Debuchy soon and have also been linked with a move for Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira.

Arsenal meanwhile have reportedly signed Atletico Madrid full-back Juan Manquillo on a season long loan with an option to buy at the end of the loan spell.