There is increasing uncertainty surrounding the likelihood of the Manchester United hierarchy being able to close a deal with Borussia Dortmund for Jadon Sancho in this transfer window. With time running out before the closure of the summer transfer window, a new roadblock appears to have reared its head in recent days, with reports suggesting that Dortmund want to have a direct replacement for Sancho lined up before sanctioning his sale.
Prominent Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has intimated that Dortmund will not want to play ball if United’s protracted negotiations for Sancho move into the final days of the transfer window, simply because they want a replacement before selling. It’s a risky tactic that United are taking, with some suggesting that the Red Devils are waiting until the final day of the transfer window to lowball Dortmund with an offer below their £108m valuation of Jadon Sancho. The problem is, United need additional firepower and fast if they are to challenge for the title in 2020/21. United are as long as 16/1 with bet365 for the EPL title, a sportsbook that is dishing out £100 in free bet credits for new customers on the eve of the new EPL campaign.
Transfer fee the stumbling block for Sancho’s United move
It’s been widely reported that Sancho and United have already agreed personal terms on a five-year contract worth an estimated £340,000 a week. Dortmund are sticking to their £108m asking price, despite United’s insistence that they can only afford to pay £80m up front. Sheth warned that if United consider “leaving it late” to make a final bid for Sancho, it’s likely that it will “fall on deaf ears” in Dortmund. Sheth says Dortmund will “need time to bring in a Jadon Sancho replacement” and players like the England international are not readily available.
Sheth anticipates there is a clear alternative, with United more likely to be forced to remain patient and close the deal next summer. It’s a theory that he believes could work given that United are “going to have more money” in the coffers to be able to meet Dortmund’s asking price. On the flip side, Sheth warns that next summer United may “not be the only show in town” for the 20-year-old and could encounter an auction from other major European clubs – including city rivals, Manchester City, who may decide to try and tempt Sancho back to the Etihad where his professional career began.
German sports journalist Christian Falk is of the same opinion as Dharmesh Sheth that if a move for Sancho does not materialise in this window, it’s almost certain to be closed at the end of this campaign. Falk, who writes for German newspaper Bild, admitted he believes “it won’t happen this season, then it will happen next season”.
What are the short and long-term alternatives to Jadon Sancho for United?
With Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer having to consider the prospect of not having Jadon Sancho in his ranks for the 2020/21 Premier League campaign, who will be plans B and C for the United hierarchy?
Welsh wing wizard Gareth Bale was thought to have been monitored by United for several months now. However, Tottenham appears to have stolen a march on the Red Devils in this instance, with Bale now looking set to return to North London on-loan for the 2020/21 campaign.
One plausible scenario is that United return to the negotiating table with Inter Milan regarding experienced Croatian forward Ivan Perisic. The 31-year-old, who is adept at playing as a second striker or attacking midfielder, was a long-time target of United’s former boss Jose Mourinho. In the summer of 2018, Perisic was at the top of Mourinho’s hit-list of transfer targets and was even prepared to throw in Anthony Martial as any makeweight in a deal. At the time, the club’s owners refused the move on the basis that Perisic would not have the commercial appeal of other potential signings.
With United’s want-away central defender Chris Smalling a potential target for Inter Milan, after impressing in Serie A during a loan spell with Roma, United could use Smalling as bait to snap up Perisic at the second time of asking. Although Perisic may not be a spring chicken at 31, there is every chance that he could play on the right as an inside forward for at least a couple of seasons.
If United are considering returning to sign Jadon Sancho next summer, a short-term loan for 2020/21 could be a sensible option. Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman is thought to be one contender for a loan bid, with Bayern recently signing another winger in the shape of Manchester City ace Leroy Sane. Although Bayern insist that Coman is not for sale, a loan move could suit both parties, giving Coman regular football and exposure in the EPL and allowing him to develop.
Two alternative permanent signings have also been mentioned in the local media in recent weeks. If United decide they cannot afford to spend such big money on Sancho, they may look for more cost-effective additions, with two wide men reportedly high on the agenda in the shape of Schalke 04’s Rabbi Matondo and Bournemouth’s David Brooks.
Matondo is actually a Liverpool-born winger, who came up through the Cardiff City youth academy before moving to Manchester City for a modest fee in 2016. With his pathway to the City first team seemingly blocked, Matondo opted to go down a similar route to Jadon Sancho and sign for Schalke 04 in January 2019. Thus far, he has made 29 senior appearances and is becoming an increasingly integral part of the Schalke forward line. Matondo has even made four senior appearances for the Welsh national side, with boss Ryan Giggs seemingly impressed with his potential.
