Manchester United are favourites to sign Jadon Sancho, after reports in Germany emerged that the England international would be leaving Borussia Dortmund this summer.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence over the last two seasons after walking away from Manchester City to try his hand in the Bundesliga with Dortmund.
He has flourished in Germany when starring for Dortmund in both domestic and Champions League competition, where he has been banging in the goals but also laying on assists by the bucket load.
Gareth Southgate was impressed enough to bring Sancho into his England set-up and he’s not a certainty for Euro 2020 this summer, but it could also be a big summer for him in terms of his club football.
Jadon Sancho's next club betting
- 3/1 - Man Utd
- 6/1 - Liverpool
- 8/1 - Chelsea
- 10/1 Bayern Munich
Sky Germany reporter Jesco von Eichmann told Sky Sports News that Sancho was now certain to leave Dortmund as long as an offer of at least £100m arrives.
"He will leave Dortmund this summer, that's for sure,” von Eichmann told Sky Sports News. "It's not clear to which club he will change.
"Manchester United is one of the big clubs that are interested, that I've heard.
"Michael Zorc, the director of Dortmund, said last week in an interview that he hasn't had an offer for Jadon Sancho yet. Today, I asked him again, and he just smiled!”
Manchester United were favourites at one stage to sign Sancho during the January transfer window but no move came about, but they are again leading the chase as betting favourites to sign him in the summer.
Sancho has 24 goals and 27 assists since the start of last season for Dortmund – with his assist total being the biggest across all five major leagues in Europe – even more than next-best Lionel Messi.
Where will Sancho go?
With a price tag of £100m, the options really are quite limited for Sancho but it does mean that his next destination will certainly be one of the biggest clubs in Europe.
The fact he’s done it in the Champions League has only increased his allure, and the combined total of goals and assists over the last couple of seasons really does put him in elite company, right up there even with Messi.
It’s the kind of production that you’d think would also alert Spain’s big two but they're both well down the betting with both of them thought to have reservations about Sancho given his young age. The player himself is also thought to want to play in the Premier League.
This transfer is a tricky one, as a player of his talent deserves to be playing at the very highest level, and right now that's Liverpool and Man City, but neither club seems to want to sign him at the price Dortmund will command.
That leads us back to Manchester United, but would Sancho fancy Old Trafford right now? Here's a quick rundown of the Sancho suitors..
Man Utd
Are leading the race but surely their hopes lie with Champions League qualification, as it's a big ask for a player like Sancho who is now in elite company to merely feature in the Europa League. He'd be a huge addition for the Red Devils and their fans would be delirious if they could lure him to Manchester - and it'd be especially sweet if he could go on to become a star after effectively being let go by Man City.
Wages and price tag are still no problem to United - it's that Champions League factor that could prove decisive.
Liverpool
If Sancho had his pick, you'd suspect it may just be Jurgen Klopp's side that he chose given how his all-conquering Reds have been performing this season. There's absolutely no doubt that Sancho would fit in brilliantly to the Liverpool system as well, operating in one of the two wide forward roles that Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have been tearing teams apart from over the last couple of years.
That right there is the problem though, as how can you sign a player for £100m and then not guarantee that he'd start every week? Put simply, you can't. Sancho would be a superb option if Salah or Mane wanted to leave Anfield, but neither have shown any sign of that as of yet. For that simple reason it's a no go for Liverpool.
Man City
City have the option to match any offer Dortmund receive for Sancho and try and sign him back from the German side, but just looking across Manchester at the Paul Pogba situation tells you how tricky it can be bringing back a player you let go for a hefty fee.
Again, though, Sancho would slide right in to the City side, and it'd be exciting to see him and Raheem Sterling forming an English twin-pronged attack at the Etihad, but with Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez also around, even a moneybags outfit like Man City can't spend £100m on a player who won't play every week.
Chelsea
Sancho certainly fits into Chelsea's new young English spine, and what a way to back Frank Lampard by handing him a massive transfer - but the only problem here is that the Blues are about to sign Hakim Ziyech from Ajax.
That ends their option of signing Sancho, as they've also got the licks of Mount, Pulisic, Willian and Hudson-Odoi operating in advanced wide roles at Stamford Bridge - some of them would have to leave to make way.
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