Aston Villa Set To Rival Fellow Premier League Clubs For This Man United Flop: Great Move For All Parties Involved? | OneFootball

If a recent report from the Birmingham Mail is believed to be true, Aston Villa are eyeing a cut-price move for Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho. But they are not alone in the hunt, with Premier League rivals Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur also keeping close eyes on the wide attacker.

The 25-year-old Three Lions international witnessed a stratospheric rise as a teenager. Manchester City snapped him up for £66,000 (potentially rising to £500,000 with add-ons) at the age of 14 from Watford, but were forced to sell him to Borussia Dortmund for £8m in a couple of years. Sancho engineered the move for first-team minutes, and the German giants handed him the same immediately from the 2017-18 campaign.

After a successful tenure with 50 goals and 63 assists in 137 appearances, the Englishman scripted a homecoming when Manchester United splashed £73m in July 2021 to secure his services. However, his time at Old Trafford has been catastrophic. Loan stints with Dortmund and Chelsea could not revive his form, as the latter opted not to trigger the £20m (plus £5m performance-related add-ons) obligation-to-buy clause and rather paid a £5m penalty to send him back to his parent club.

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 22: Jadon Sancho of Chelsea is challenged by Andres Garcia of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Chelsea FC at Villa Park on February 22, 2025, in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Although Sancho had a rift with the former Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag, there would be no way back for him under the current chief, Ruben Amorim, who is eyeing a summer rebuild after a disastrous 2024-25 season. There should be more arrivals after Matheus Cunha, but they must offload the fringe stars to fund reinforcements across the pitch.

Why Sancho Might Regain His Rhythm At Aston Villa

Aston Villa could take advantage of the situation, as a permanent move for Marcus Rashford seems unlikely at this stage. The attacking ace enjoyed a productive loan, but a controversial final gameweek defeat against United has denied them a Champions League berth. They are now under scrutiny for breaching PSR, and therefore, not in a position to meet the £40m asking fee for the versatile forward.

Villans might have to sell a few players before the end of June to comply with the regulations. The loaned-out stars Leander Dendoncker, Philippe Coutinho, Alex Moreno and Emiliano Buendia are expected to leave permanently, as they have fallen out of favour under Unai Emery. They would listen to offers for first-team names, including Saudi-linked Emiliano Martinez and Leon Bailey, and a move for Sancho could be a shrewd piece of business for various reasons.

The winger has just one year left in his Old Trafford contract, and Manchester United would prefer a minuscule fee over losing him for nothing next summer. Villa do not have an outright left-sided attacker other than Jacob Ramsay to slot in Emery’s 4-2-3-1 formation. The gaffer was forced to deploy John McGinn at times as a left midfielder, and Sancho might be a decent pick to succeed his fellow Red Devils outcast at Villa Park. He is still young and full of potential, and a spell away from the traditional ‘big four’ could see him revive his career.