Three ways the Jadon Sancho transfer saga could play out before the window closes | OneFootball

The end of the summer transfer window is racing into view and one of the biggest sagas left unfinished is that of Jadon Sancho.

After a public falling out with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, Sancho spent the second half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan at former club Borussia Dortmund, looking rejuvenated as he helped Die Schwarzgelben reach the Champions League final and finish fifth in the Bundesliga to ensure their place at Europe’s top table this campaign.

But then Sancho and Ten Hag kissed and made up, seemingly leaving the door open for the winger to work his way back into the United side and get what should have already been a glittering career back on track.

Even so, rumours of an Old Trafford exit persist. So, with just days to go before the window proverbially ‘slams shut’, what are the three most likely ways Sancho’s transfer saga will play out?

1. Remain at Manchester United

The most obvious place to start is where Sancho already is.

“We’ve drawn the line. Manchester United need good players and Jadon is a good player. We have drawn that line and we move on,” Ten Hag said of the winger earlier this summer and for a while, it looked like the England international would quickly re-establish himself with the Red Devils, playing 225 minutes across pre-season.

But since then, the situation has once again deteriorated, with Sancho getting just seven minutes in the Community Shield against Man City — missing another penalty at Wembley as United lost the shootout — while he’s not even made the matchday squads against Fulham or Brighton in the Premier League.

“He is here but we had some issues,” Ten Hag cryptically explained to TNT Sports shortly before kick-off against Brighton. “I had a choice to make. He has to compete for his position. We need in the squad every position double because it’s going to be a long season.”

Those comments make the situation about as clear as mud. However, United’s only other wing options right now are Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo, Antony and Marcus Rashford, and with Rasmus Hojlund injured, the latter may be required to cover through the middle at times. So, with a Europa League campaign to worry about, it’s hard to see Ten Hag letting anyone leave from his forward line unless a replacement can be secured.

2. Chelsea swap

That brings us nicely to option two.

According to The Telegraph, Chelsea are weighing up an offer that would bring Sancho to Stamford Bridge with out-of-favour forward Raheem Sterling going the other way.

On paper, this one could make a lot of sense, with each club getting rid of a forward they may not use in favour of one that better fits their needs. That’s especially apparent in the case of Sterling, who is a veteran of 379 games and 123 goals in the Premier League alone, while United have already missed a joint-league-high six big chances across their two games so far this season, scoring just two goals.

There are a lot of issues to overcome with this one. Firstly, it’s understood Sterling wants a permanent move away from Chelsea rather than a loan. And secondly, both clubs are eager to reduce their wage bills, so how that looks with the considerable salaries of Sancho and Sterling would be anyone’s guess.

And do Man Utd value Sterling as much as the £40m price tag they’ve apparently put on Sancho’s head? The former Liverpool and Man City man would certainly fill a goalscoring need for the Red Devils, although he’d have to work hard to win the fans over given his roots at each of United’s biggest two rivals.

We might well see a game of chicken develop between these two sides as the end of the summer window approaches but right now, Sancho is priced at 3/1 by Sky Bet to make the switch to Stamford Bridge — the same price Sterling has to move to Old Trafford.

3. Juventus

Priced at 1/2 by Sky Bet, Juventus seems like a much more likely destination for Sancho right now.

According to a report from Manchester Evening News, there is a private jet ready to fly out from Manchester to Turin imminently, which is understood to be ready to carry Sancho and/or his representatives to get a deal over the line.

The Old Lady’s forward pack is certainly in need of a boost, with Federico Chiesa consistently linked with a move away in recent months and Thiago Motta currently leaning on a host of inexperienced young players.

Like with the Chelsea swap deal, there are hurdles to overcome here, not least the fact that Juventus are also understood to be very keen on signing Sterling. That earlier Telegraph report states that talks with Juventus are ‘further advanced’ for Sancho than with Chelsea, as reflected in the odds. But can the Old Lady pay the £40m transfer fee, or cover his full salary on a loan or permanent deal?

One thing for sure is that Sancho’s previous spells at Borussia Dortmund show he is by no means afraid to go abroad for the right career opportunity. If he performed in Italy anything like he did in Germany, then he could quickly be back on the path to stardom and the England national team.

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