SANCH-NO! UNITED WON’T BE HELD TO RANSOM AS FEE IS HIKED

MANCHESTER UNITED are poised to scrap their pursuit of Jadon Sancho.

The Old Trafford money men believe Borussia Dortmund are holding them to ransom after demanding £110million for Sancho, 20, and refusing to budge on the price.

Now United could plunge in for Jack Grealish – and they are ready to get expensive flop Alexis Sanchez off

the Old Trafford books. United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward values England winger Sancho closer to £80m – and is not prepared to go higher.

The Reds were last week willing to make a take-it-or-leave-it bid in the belief that figure is a fair price for Sancho.

But Dortmund are digging in and talks between the clubs have broken down. Maybe irretrievably.

Now United are prepared to walk away from the deal and look at other targets – including Grealish, Harry Kane and Ajax star Donny van de Beek. The ongoing Covid-19 crisis has cost European football clubs an estimated £4billion.

And United believe Dortmund’s valuation of Sancho is unrealistic.

It is understood

United are prepared to turn their back on Sancho now with a view to revisiting the situation next summer. Signing Sancho for £110m would make him the joint-fourth most expensive player in history – and United are simply not prepared to do that.

They made Sancho their No.1 target at the start of 2020 and were determined to land him.

But the pandemic changed the footballing landscape and it is understood boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has backed United’s strong stance.

He is set to have his hand strengthened in the market by shedding Sanchez’s huge wages.

The Chilean misfit has agreed terms to cancel his contract to seal a permanent move to Inter Milan following a loan spell. Sanchez is set to sign a three-year deal with Inter.

United had initially been keen to land a transfer fee of around £15m to sell the 31-year-old striker.

But they won’t get a bean for Sanchez, who will sign a deal worth £130,000 a week after tax in Italy.