For the second summer in a row Jadon Sancho finds himself at the heart of the dreaded "transfer saga". Manchester United have found it easier to get a deal done with Borussia Dortmund this time around though. In 2020 the German side set a deadline by which the nine figure deal had to be completed. United failed to do so and so the England international spent another year in the Bundesliga.
This summer the lure of a return is strong for Sancho and while a deal looks to be complete, itt will cost Manchester United a great deal, somewhere in the range of £80 million plus add-ons, but on past form the 21-year-old may be worth it.
The latest Jadon Sancho transfer news
- June 30, 2021: Pending a medical, the deal is done and Sancho will become a United player
- June 25, 2021: The Mirror reports that Manchester United have agreed to a deal in principle with Dortmund.
- June 25, 2021: CBS soccer insider Fabrizio Romano reports that United and Dortmund are reaching the final stages in their negotiation.
- June 23, 2021: Leading German publication Bild report that an agreement between United and Dortmund for Sancho's transfer will be complete in the coming days. Personal terms were already agreed between the player and the Red Devils last summer.
- June 10, 2021: Dortmund reject an opening bid of $93 million from United. They have set their price tag at around $107.5 million.
- August 10, 2020: Dortmund's deadline for the agreement of a transfer fee for Sancho before the 2020-21 season passes. United will subsequently make an offer of around $130 million but the German side hold firm and keep the England international for the season.
Jadon Sancho: numbers to know
- 27 assists: Sancho has provided more goals directly for team mates in the last two seasons than all bar three players -- Thomas Muller, Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi -- in Europe's top five leagues.
- 29.17 passes made in attacking third per 90: Once more Sancho is in elite company when it comes to involvement in the most dangerous areas of the pitch. Only Barcelona duo Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi have attempted more passes in the attacking third over the last two seasons, indeed the England winger has 1.5 more passes per 90 than any other non-Barcelona player.
- 1.26 goal creating actions per 90: In the 2019-20 campaign, Sancho's best on a personal level so far in his career, the winger was involved in the two offensive actions that led to a goal one and a quarter times per 90 minutes. This tally was only bettered by Riyad Mahrez.
- $11 million: The fee Borussia Dortmund paid to acquire Sancho from Manchester City in the summer of 2017. Since then he has played 137 games for the German side, scoring 50 goals and providing 64 assists.
Transfer risk factor
This might be as low as you could reasonably expect for a nine figure signing. Manchester United could confidently hope to get a decade of top level performance from a player who only turned 21 in March and though he will need time to fit into the league he will be in an environment he is familiar with and playing alongside England international team mates such as Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Harry Maguire.