Borussia Dortmund Want Jadon Sancho to Publicly State He's Staying
By Tom Gott
Borussia Dortmund are putting pressure on winger Jadon Sancho to publicly snub interest from Manchester United and commit to staying in Germany.
Dortmund are adamant that the deal is now off after United failed to meet their £108m asking price by the artificial deadline of August 10, but the Red Devils remain undeterred and intend to push ahead with negotiations regardless of the fact that Sancho is now at Dortmund's pre-season training camp in Switzerland.
Sporting director Michael Zorc has already publicly stated that Sancho will be going nowhere this summer, and according to The Times, Dortmund want to see the Englishman follow suit and prove his commitment to the club.
Sancho is not thought to be agitating for a move just yet, but he has informed Dortmund that he would consider taking things further if they fail to act reasonably in negotiations with United.
He did recently tell BVB TV that he enjoys being part of the team, saying: "I love playing with this lot. It is a special bunch. We've got some special young players coming up. I am really happy to share the pitch with them and guide them. I was once in their shoes, playing with the seniors. I am happy for them."
However, the Daily Mail believe that Dortmund's reluctance to do business stems from an uncertainty over just how much United actually want Sancho.
Direct contact between the two sides has dried up, and United are not yet believed to have indicated how much they would be prepared to pay for Sancho, which has delayed any attempt to find a compromise as Dortmund don't want to low-ball themselves.
The problem for United is that they are well aware that their rivals are watching closely in the hope that he remains in Germany and is available to sign next summer, with several teams understood to have expressed an interest in pursuing a deal next year.
Having said that, the Evening Standard add to the circus of uncertainty by claiming that all these shenanigans have actually left United more confident that a deal will be done.
Club officials are said to believe that Dortmund's desire to keep everything in the public eye is an attempt to speed things up, with the German side still likely to accept a suitable bid regardless of when it arrives.
United are said to be sat at around the £70m mark right now, but Dortmund are not budging from their £108m price tag.