Jadon Sancho: Forgotten Man United star handed career lifeline amid transfer interest from former club | OneFootball

Briton has not played for Red Devils since 2024

Jadon Sancho could rejoin a former club when his Manchester United contract expires in June.

Chelsea then chose to pay a £5m penalty to avoid signing him permanently after a middling loan spell at Stamford Bridge, and he has spent this campaign on another loan at Aston Villa.

Jadon Sancho has spent this season on the fringes at Aston Villa

AFP via Getty Images

Per a report in The Athletic, the Bundesliga outfit are planning a major squad overhaul this summer, with Sancho tipped for a comeback as they consider a return to a formation which could play to his strengths.

Niko Kovac’s present system employs a 3-4-2-1 formation with wing-backs providing width, but he is expected to shift his tactics to rely on wingers amid this summer squad refresh.

That will also open the door for highly-rated young wingers Samuele Inacio and Mathis Albert into the first-team.

Dortmund have previously confirmed that Julian Brandt and Niklas Sule, both high earners, will not have their contracts renewed come the end of the season, freeing up budget to reintroduce Sancho, who is reported to earn around £300,000 per week at United.

He would likely take a considerable pay cut should the move materialise, though.

Jadon Sancho won the Conference League as he spent the 2024-25 campaign on loan at Chelsea

Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Sancho remains a popular character at Dortmund and among the club’s fans. He was among Europe’s highest-rated young players when he first broke through, and also impressed when he rejoined the side on loan in 2024.

All told, he has scored 53 goals and assisted a further 67 in 158 appearances for the club. He has almost twice as many appearances for Dortmund than he does at any other club.

Sancho has not played a competitive fixture for United since they faced bitter rivals Manchester City in the 2024 Community Shield. He came off the bench to make an eight-minute cameo before missing a spot-kick in the shootout. He is not a first choice at Villa this season, either, starting just 15 matches this campaign.

Dortmund sit second in the Bundesliga, nine points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich, with eight matches left to play. They crashed out of the Champions League after a play-off against Atalanta, decided after a 98th-minute Lazar Samardzic penalty in the second-leg gave the Serie A side a 4-3 aggregate lead.