Jadon Sancho transfer latest as Man Utd close in on Borussia Dortmund star

In the latest chapter of the saga that just refuses to go away, Manchester United are said to have finally reached an agreement with long-term transfer target Jadon Sancho over a move from Borussia Dortmund.

But reports conflict over the situation, with the latest from Germany suggesting a bid is yet to arrive for the England winger.

United have held a long-standing interest in Sancho, and they were desperate to sign him a year ago before talks broke down with Dortmund. The Bundesliga side doggedly stuck to their guns over their valuation, demanding more than £100m for his services, which proved too hot to handle for United.

They were repaid for that by Sancho's exceptional form last season, scoring 16 and assisting 20 to further his reputation as one of the best young forwards on the planet. His continued rise in the game has led to United maintaining their interest, and 90min reported in April that he is still their main target despite the way things ended last summer.

It's widely expected that Sancho will be available for cheaper now than he was in 2020, as he now has just two years to run on his contract. And various reports, namely from Fabrizio Romano and The Mirror, suggest Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team are set to capitalise on that.

The feeling from those reports is that Dortmund have dropped their valuation from well over £100m to around the £80m mark, and that United are now prepared to pay what they are asking for. The only hold-up, it's claimed, is a disagreement over how the deal would be structured, with United keen to pay in instalments while Dortmund want the fee up front.

It's said personal terms have already been agreed with Sancho, who is keen to come to the Premier League after Euro 2020.

But, and there's always a but, those claims have been roundly refuted by the latest coming from Germany. Bild's Christian Falk reckons there has not yet been an offer for Sancho, and says the clubs are yet to reopen talks after they collapsed a year ago.

Falk reported that on Sunday morning, and within 30 minutes of tweeting it, SPORT1's Patrick Berger had weighed into his replies to correct him. Berger has his own unique take on the situation that seems to sit on the fence: he says there has not yet been an offer, but there has definitely been renewed talks between the clubs.

So, who do you believe when everyone is claiming something different? It wouldn't be the first time reports in the UK have got the wrong end of the stick, but there is generally no smoke without fire, and Falk's claims that there is nothing in the works at all seem a bit bizarre.

The middle ground is usually the route to take when reports conflict like this, so it's likely that talks have reopened. But suggestions of an imminent deal may be premature.