United’s options if Sancho proves to be a no-go ...
IT WOULD be an enormous understatement to say United have struggled in their attempts to sign Jadon Sancho this summer.
Borussia Dortmund have never once budged from their desire to keep the winger. As unpalatable as it may seem for fans, it might be time to give up the ghost.
United have been linked with a number of alternative options, since they are eager to strengthen the right-wing position even if Sancho is not the man to fill it.
Here are the three potential targets who could be deemed acceptable alternatives...
CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI
IN regards to age, style of play and nationality, Hudson-Odoi ticks all the same boxes as Sancho; the issue may be that the Chelsea winger is nowhere near as experienced in terms of playing time.
However, that he has been deprived of minutes under Frank Lampard could be a major factor in driving the 19-year-old’s desire to move this summer.
Bayern Munich have been regularly linked, which is a fairly strong endorsement of Hudson-Odoi’s ability. If the European champions are keen on a transfer, United should be in the mix too.
The new additions at Stamford
Bridge like Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech have only made Hudson-Odoi’s task more difficult at Chelsea.
At United, he would only really be competing with Mason Greenwood for a starting spot on the right. He is younger than Sancho and would be significantly cheaper, though more of a gamble in terms of raw output.
OUSMANE DEMBELE
MANY United fans pointed towards Dembele as the example that proved Sancho would eventually move this summer.
Dembele, the former Dortmund winger, was the subject of a lengthy transfer saga in 2017 when Barcelona made an approach and were initially rebuked by the German club, who said definitively he wasn’t for sale. Weeks later, the Frenchman became a Barca player.
The difference with that situation, however, was that the Catalan club were willing to spend in excess of £96million.
United have not delved into that kind of territory with Sancho, though they may now find that Barcelona could be willing to offload the 23-year-old Dembele for less amid the fallout of their disastrous Champions League exit.
KINGSLEY COMAN
IT emerged earlier in the summer that another French winger, in Bayern Munich star Coman, was on
United’s list of potential Sancho alternatives.
M.E.N. Sport reported that Coman was under consideration as a loan in the event of a Plan B should they not sign Sancho.
Yet all that was before the 24-yearold scored the only goal of the game in the Champions League final against his former side Paris SaintGermain.
With that goal, Coman appeared to cement his future at Bayern and it would now take a hefty United bid to prise him away.
But the sheer amount of options at Bayern could mean United find negotiations for Coman easier than they have found for Sancho.