Manchester United were desperate to sign Sancho, but the Bundesliga club made it clear early in the summer that they would not leave if their asking price were met.
Sancho might leave BVB one day
Jadon Sancho may leave Borussia Dortmund one day, director Sebastian Kehl has admitted. But it won’t be in this transfer window. Manchester United were desperate to sign Sancho. But the Bundesliga club made it clear early in the summer that they would not leave if their asking price were met. Dortmund wanted the deal to be closed before their pre-season training camp started on 10 August and United failed to meet their previously announced price of €120 million. Man United remain passionate about the move, with their shortcomings in their squad badly exposed as they suffered a humble 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in their opening game of the Premier League season.
He’s happy at BVB
Dortmund started their campaign happier. BVB beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-0 in their opening Bundesliga match. Sancho scored his first goal of the campaign in a 5-0 Cup win over Duisburg. This also featured Jude Bellingham’s record-breaking debut goal who snubbed Man Utd to join Dortmund. With the momentum behind them, Kehl says that the Dortmund people are confident in keeping Sancho happy at the club. “Jadon trained well and professionally,” Kehl told reporters. “He’s happy to play football. Yes, someday Sancho might leave for a new challenge. But right now, he is happy at Borussia Dortmund, and BVB are happy to have him. Jadon is here – and he will stay here. It was a critical statement from the club because we have a certain duty. Without Jadon Sancho, this team is worse.”
One match into the new season, frustration is already starting to grow around United. While their top-four rivals have all strengthened, Donny van de Beek remains the only major summer window signing at Old Trafford. So the question remains of how he fits in midfield alongside Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes. Former defender Patrice Evra made his frustration very clear when he launched a scathing 20-minute attack on the club’s hierarchy over how they conduct their transfer business. However, Steve McClaren, formerly assistant manager of Sir Alex Ferguson, defended Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, claiming a “massive overreaction” to the Crystal Palace result.