Transfer news - Jadon Sancho camp 'more confident than ever' over Man Utd move - Inside Football
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Updated 14/05/2021 at 11:01 GMT
Jadon Sancho’s potential transfer to Manchester United is more likely than ever according to our insider Dean Jones in his latest Inside Football column. However new deals for Eric Bailly and Edinson Cavani may mean that there is no bid for a high-profile central defender or striker during the summer window.
Dortmund's English midfielder Jadon Sancho holds the trophy after the ceremony after the German Cup (DFB Pokal) final football match RB Leipzig v BVB Borussia Dortmund, in Berlin on May 13, 2021.
Image credit: Getty Images
It was back in October 2018 that the Jadon Sancho-Manchester United transfer saga truly began.
Jose Mourinho was in charge at Old Trafford and as consideration over the squad turned to additions for the following year, Sancho began to emerge as a target.
Mourinho did not manage to see out the year but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stepped into the fold and the plan to target Sancho has remained.
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Jadon Sancho, Borussia Dortmund
Image credit: Getty Images
This summer will be the sixth successive transfer window in which Sancho has been linked with a move to United and each year the chances of a deal being struck improve.
Sources close to the player are suggesting they are more confident than ever that the transfer will finally go ahead.
It’s a good sign for fans who have dreamed of seeing him walk out at Old Trafford yet there is still work to be done before this is a reality.
It was recently leaked that Dortmund are putting a value of €100m on Sancho and while that would be a drop on last summer’s price-tag, it is still more than United want to spend.
Avoiding that 100,000,000 figure is important to them at a time when the world, and the game, is economically fragile. Last year the value was in pounds, this time it is in Euros. Yet the message at the moment is the same: 100m is too much.
United knew they were taking a gamble when they did not front the cash last year. There was a chance his value would rise, or another side could have ended up snatching him.
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Jadon Sancho
Image credit: Getty Images
Sancho had a slow start to this season and at one stage at the beginning of this year there was a feeling around United that their gamble had really paid off and that forward’s valuation might be heading closer to £50million than £100million.
He’s ended the campaign in style though, and has 14 goals and 18 assists from 34 outings.
They are dropping the price but the sensational form of this second half of the season has assured Dortmund bosses he is still a player at the very top end of the market.
The sum of €100m roughly converts to £85million but at the moment there is a feeling among intermediaries in the game that United’s initial offer will be somewhere in the region of £65-75million.
If that’s the case we would have to see how the two clubs find common ground from there.
The cause could be helped by the fact United have just agreed a new contract with forward Edinson Cavani. That one-year agreement buys them time in the search for a new striker—do they sign a new big-name or will Mason Greenwood be ready to step up in 2022? There will be no bid for Harry Kane or Erling Haaland soon, as things stand.
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Erling Haaland (L) and Jadon Sancho of Borussia Dortmund pose with the trophy after winning the DFB Cup final match between RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund at Olympic Stadium on May 13, 2021 in Berlin, Germany.
Image credit: Getty Images
Equally, they might save money in defence. Eric Bailly agreed a new contract and that might yet mean a bid for Jules Kounde or Pau Torres is shelved. That’s one school of thought but we will see how Torres deals with the Europa League final first - he will be in defence for Villarreal trying to keep United at bay and a star performance might yet convince United that they need him.
So maybe some extra funds can go in the Sancho pot. But last year there were also complications around agent payments, so fees in that area will need to be negotiated again too.
There is a gentleman’s agreement in place for Sancho to leave this summer if an acceptable offer lands on the table and it is understood the player does want to now return to England.
Sancho, 21, is now at a level where there can be little doubt he is ready to shine in the world’s most high-profile division.
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Jadon Sancho of Dortmund kisses the trophy after winning the DFB Cup final match between RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund at Olympic Stadium on May 13, 2021 in Berlin, Germany.
Image credit: Getty Images
Discussions over this deal will not be straight forward because there is probably going to be little time to move ahead with negotiations.
Gareth Southgate will announce his England squad for Euro 2020 on May 25, just days after the Bundesliga and Premier League end. It is also the day before United face Villarreal in their European final. Sancho is expected to be named in that England squad.
The tournament begins on June 11 and runs until July 11, so talks over any transfer could be dragged out. Very few high-profile transfers are concluded during a major international tournament.
In the coming weeks we will find out more about Dortmund’s terms around Sancho. Will there be another deadline set? Will they become open to any negotiation around the fee?
This transfer saga might go on a little longer yet, but it will all be worth it to United if they finally get their man—especially if it’s on their terms.
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