The latest Man Utd news on Jadon Sancho saga as Dortmund consider selling
Exclusive - Manchester United still have open lines of communication with Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho and his representatives and there is still mutual interest between the parties ahead of the summer transfer window.
It comes as news in Germany now suggests that Dortmund are willing to sell Sancho in the coming months amid increasing financial pressure, having stuck rigidly to a €120m valuation last year.
United were confident of signing Sancho last summer as early as the autumn of 2019. At one stage, the Old Trafford club were prepared to pay massive money to be the club to bring him back to England from Germany, only for the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and the knock-on effect on football finances to push the ceiling on what they were willing to pay below £100m.
That stalemate proved impossible to break. Dortmund had also earlier set their own deadline of 10 August, almost two months before the actual transfer deadline, for any deal to be signed off.
Sancho himself was taken by the idea of joining United and was particularly keen on the idea of playing with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial. The number seven shirt was even waiting for him – it no longer is following the October arrival of Edinson Cavani in Manchester – and the project appealed to him.
Even though the transfer fell through, 90min can now reveal that United were happy with the way that Sancho conducted himself throughout the summer saga. He never burned any bridges when it became clear he would be staying at Dortmund, nor was he critical of the Premier League side.
United were pleased to see a level of maturity shine through and they in return respected his stance because he never kicked up a fuss or caused trouble at Dortmund, regardless of wanting to take the opportunity to move on. Both parties still want each other and the lines of communication are open.
90min revealed earlier this month that United are confident their gamble of refusing to meet Dortmund’s asking price last summer will pay off. The Old Trafford club consider themselves to be in a strong position to negotiate a deal for under £100m and have not been put off by Sancho’s drop in form this season, still viewing him as an ideal signing for their developing squad.
With Dortmund enduring a difficult campaign and losing out on vast revenue because of the ongoing pandemic, Bild writes that emergency sales may be necessary. That situation would be worsened if they fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League and miss out on all of the additional revenue the competition brings. As things stand, they are seventh in the Bundesliga.
Given United’s continued interest, Sancho is an obvious sale to raise cash, but it will not be for as much as Dortmund had hoped only a few months ago.
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