United poised to land Jadon in £108m five-year deal

MANCHESTER UNITED are edging closer to a stunning record deal to land their No 1 summer target Jadon Sancho.

United are on the verge of finalising personal terms on a contract of at least five years for Borussia Dortmund’s 20-yearold England winger.

Advanced talks between the two clubs over a deal that could reach an eventual £108million are continuing in the hope of an agreement being struck, potentially within a week. Dortmund are refusing to budge from their £108m valuation of forward Sancho. It would see them make a staggering profit, having signed him for £8m from Manchester City in 2017.

The German side are hoping for at least half of that up front, with talks also focused on how the deal is structured beyond the initial payment.

Dortmund head off to Switzerland for their pre-season training camp next Monday and would prefer the transfer is completed before then.

Sancho’s Dortmund deal, which runs until 2022, is worth around £190,000 per week. He can expect a huge pay hike to reflect his likely fee and status as one of the most exciting players in world football should negotiations be concluded.

A fee of £108m would see him become the most expensive player bought by an English club – topping the £89m United paid to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016. That would also beat Gareth Bale’s £86m move from Tottenham to Real Madrid in 2013. Only three players – PSG’s Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, and Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix – have commanded bigger fees than the one Dortmund are demanding for Sancho.

The winger, part of England’s U17 World Cup-winning squad in 2017, proved his quality during his three years at Dortmund by scoring 34 goals and setting up 43 in just 99 games. He made his full England debut in 2018 and has 11 caps.

Sancho’s imminent arrival means United are prepared to wait until late in the window before considering a move for Jack Grealish. Any offers for the Aston Villa captain, who has three years on his contract, would have to start at around £80m.

Villa’s successful fight against relegation means they are under no financial pressure to sell the 24-year-old. United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward also warned it is unrealistic to think transfer fees will remain as high as before the pandemic.

Meanwhile, United were last night continuing talks with Inter Milan over the permanent transfer of loanee Alexis Sanchez. Inter are trying to get the deal done without a fee and want United to cancel his contract. The two years left on his contract at Old Trafford are worth up to £560,000 a week and his departure could save United

up to £58m in wages.