Who will pay £100m for Sancho?
JADON SANCHO faces another year at Borussia Dortmund if the impasse over his future does not budge with the impact of the corona virus pandemic looking certain to deflate transfer fees.
Borussia Dortmund have made it clear that they would expect £ 100 million for him, while it is understood that Manchester United, although they retain a strong interest in the England winger, would not go that high amid the current economic uncertainty.
United are in a much stronger position than most clubs coming out of lockdown, but they still intend to spread their transfer money across a number of players, with a centre forward and another midfielder also on their target list, as well as Sancho, who started in Dortmund’s last- gasp 1- 0 win at Fortuna Dusseldorf yesterday.
It is possible that staggered payments over a number of seasons might help bring a resolution but United will also not break their structure, which now limits agents’ fees to five per cent, a policy instituted after the reported £41m paid to Mino Raiola, Paul Pogba’s agent. There is understood to be less worry over Sancho’s wages, which are likely to be more than £200,000 a week.
United look to be Sancho’s destination if he were to move this summer. Chelsea, having signed Ti mo Werner and Hakim Ziyech and chasing Ben Chilwell, have drawn back from the fray. Bayern Munich are pursuing Manchester City’s Leroy Sane, while Barcelona are looking elsewhere.
England manager Gareth Southgate says that he will be relaxed whatever Sanc ho chooses. ‘The key is he has to play football,’ said Southgate. ‘ The beauty of him playing at Dortmund is that he plays regularly and he’s playing in a team that is expected to hit a certain level.
‘Before this period, that was in front of 80,000 every week with the pressure of Champions League football, which is another bonus and the need to be challenging Bayern Munich all the way.
‘ The Premier League would present a different challenge to that. The depth of the League here is a bit more intense in terms of the quality but, from a personal point of view for England, whichever route opens up is positive. At Dortmund, he’s playing for a good club. He’s well looked after by the staff who give the right messages.
‘There isn’t a downside for us if he stays with Dortmund at all and, i f we see him i n the Premier League, that brings different opportunities to see him in a different environment and to see how he adapts to t hat. But t he most important thing is that he keeps playing regularly and at his age that is key to him learning and improving.’
Southgate, who spoke to Sancho in the run-up to the resumption of the Bundesliga, makes a point of not intervening in such matters as his players’ potential transfers. ‘I try not to,’ he said.
‘I’m always available to players who want to speak or get advice about whatever areas of their life but I don’t push that when I am conscious that there’s a lot of noise around a player. I don’t think it’s for me to tell him what to do. They should make their own decisions and that decision won’t affect or influence our thinking too much in his case anyway.’
Southgate also praised Sancho for his engagement with social issues, having displayed a message in support of George Floyd, t he African-American killed in police custody. Sancho was also fined by the Deutsche Fussball Liga for breaking strict health protocols when he removed his face mask to pose for a photo with his barber and Southgate says that he will learn to protect himself better in those situations.
‘He is still very young. He’s not going to get every decision right. About the photograph, he’s probably got to look after himself a little bit better in that sort of situation and not allow somebody to heighten their own fame by getting a picture with him, which has ended up with him being in a difficult position.
‘ There’s a naivety of youth in some of the things that happen. But that’s a journey that most, if not all, players go on. There are very few 20 year olds that make the right decision every single time.
‘He’s at a club that are handling that very well. They’re giving him an opportunity but they are also firm with him at the right times. His development is in a really good direction. He’s improving on the pitch, he’s becoming more responsible off it. There is still a bit of a way to go with that. We’ve got to keep raising the bar and challenging in that area to make sure that we maxi mis e h i s talent and he maximises his talent.
‘But that’s not unusual. If I look through the squad, I worked with most of them at Under-21 level. I’ve been through all the pitfalls. He’s got a higher profile than most when they made some of those errors. It’s going to be more difficult for him because any mistake he makes is going to be in a more high-profile environment than others his age.’
Dortmund director Sebastian Kehl revealed yesterday that they are planning for him to stay next season. ‘There is nothing new on this topic [a move],’ he said. ‘Of course there have been a few themes with Jadon in the last few weeks. We’ve cleared all that up. At the moment we’re working on the assumption that Jadon will be with Borussia Dortmund next season.’