Jadon Sancho is closing in on a “dream transfer” before he leaves Manchester United in the summer, according to several media reports.
Sancho’s miserable five-year tenure at Old Trafford is finally coming to an end when his United contract expires in the summer.
The 25-year-old was one of the most talked-about players in Europe when he completed his £73 million move to Manchester United in 2021.
Sancho came through Manchester City’s academy, and although he didn’t break through at the Etihad Stadium, it was a completely different story in Germany, where he shone for Bundesliga giants Dortmund.
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Failed at United
Manchester United, however, rarely saw Sancho in great form, and he was sent back to Dortmund on loan after only two seasons at the club.
Sancho’s performance on the pitch was only part of the problem. The striker also clashed with then-United boss Erik ten Hag during that period.
Chelsea signed Sancho on loan last season, and it was expected that they would keep him at Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £25 million.
But the Blues surprisingly decided to pay a fine of five million pounds to walk out of the deal and send Sancho back to Manchester United.
Still far away from the first team at Old Trafford, Sancho was signed by Aston Villa in the summer, but has struggled under Unai Emery and is without a single goal in the Premier League.
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A productive spell at Villa Park could have given Sancho a permanent transfer, but Aston Villa are now no longer interested in keeping the player beyond this season.
Dreaming of Dortmund return
With Manchester United in the same vein, Sancho is likely to be free in the summer – and Borussia Dortmund have signed up as favourites to secure his signature.
Sancho has been linked with a permanent return to Dortmund in recent months, and German newspaper Bild now claims that the transfer is “very likely”.
It is claimed that Borussia Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl sees Sancho as a “game-changer” and is working to get a deal done in the summer.
Bild suggest that this will not be a problem, as Sancho is willing to sacrifice some salary to ensure a “dream return” to the club where he really broke through.
Borussia Dortmund are looking to strengthen their wingers after they sold England Under-21 star Jamie Gittens to Chelsea in the summer.
Different fates
Sancho’s parent club Manchester United have had an impressive upswing under interim manager Michael Carrick and climbed to third place in the Premier League.
The winger’s current club, Aston Villa, on the other hand, have lost three straight Premier League games and dropped to fifth place in the table.
Emery’s side, however, are doing well in the Europa League, and have a one-goal lead going into the second leg against Lille in the last eight on Thursday night.
