Alexis Sanchez could have to wait until after the international break to make his long-awaited debut for Inter, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

The forward will officially return to Serie A today after a 2,960-day absence, having left Udinese to join Barcelona in the summer of 2011.

Sanchez landed at Malpensa Airport at 4pm local time yesterday before putting pen to paper on his new contract shortly after 10pm.

The contract will now be deposited while Inter begin the formal procedure to obtain his ‘transfer’, but this bureaucratic process may not be completed in time for Sunday’s match against Cagliari.

Sanchez has already spoken to Antonio Conte, who pushed hard to secure his signature from Manchester United, since arriving in Italy on Wednesday.

He is expected to take up the no. 17 shirt he wore during his first couple of seasons at Arsenal, with his preferred no. 7 now belonging to Mauro Icardi.