As Jadon Sancho’s protracted move to Manchester United rumbles on in the media, Borussia Dortmund seem to realise that the who process will be win-win for them. Despite rumours earlier this week which have suggested that the 20-year-old has agreed on personal terms with the Old Trafford club, which state the player could earn £350,000 per week at the club, the German club will win either way.

If Sancho leaves for United this summer, the Bundesliga club would pocket £108 million, which is the fee that they have decided on for the player. However, if the player ends up remaining at the club, Dortmund would have him for another season. It may not seem much but for the German club, either direction would be good for them. United, however, seem to have a long way to go before they can be declared the winners.

United do not want to spend £108 million in one go for the player and according to The Sun have offered £60 million up front with the remaining £48 million to be paid over a number of instalments. This seems logical as the club would be looking to minimise their outgoings this summer because of the coronavirus pandemic but it would also be good for Dortmund, who are not desperate for the money right now.

That said though, for it to work, Dortmund would need to be guaranteed the remaining £48 million not have that figure locked up in a number of performance related add-ons. They could tempt the Bundesliga side with add-ons, offering more than £108 million as the final figure, providing the player will be successful at the club and United go on to win domestic and European trophies in a set period of time, say the length of his contract.

But Dortmund seem to want all of the cash up front, which seems to be the sticking point right now and the initial deadline that they set, which will expire on Monday, is getting close to passing. The club initially stated that they will not sell the player after the 10 August, so I guess we will see what happens there. United are due in Germany this weekend, so perhaps it will promote further talks on the matter?

United will be back in action in the UEFA Europa League on Monday evening, facing FC Copenhagen in the quarter-final of the competition in Cologne, which is where they will play the semi-final and the final if they progress. It is a chance for United to end the season on a high, possibly winning a trophy safe in the knowledge that the club will be playing UEFA Champions League football next season.

Written by John Walker

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted that Manchester United will not be rushed in their pursuit of number on summer target Jadon Sancho. Borussia Dortmund want to receive around £108 million for the England winger this summer with United valuing the player at around £80 million, at least according to The Mirror. This has seemingly led to a meltdown with English journalists suggesting that United are about to pull the plug on the deal and things along those lines.

However, if you look at journalism on the continent, it seems more positive with Bild’s Christian Falk reporting that the Old Trafford club has agreed personal terms with Sancho, which would not be happening if the two clubs were not in active discussion and would certainly not happen if United were going to walk away from the prospective deal this summer. It would seem to be a tactic maybe to give the German club the impression that they would walk away, possibly making a final bid for the player. I guess we will see in the coming days.

Italian journalist Tancredi Palmeri has reported that United have made a €100 million bid for Sancho, which seems to go against what has been reported by English journalists, which makes you wonder why the two sides, England and the continent, are so different. Jan Aage Fjortoft has tweeted that a source of his in Dortmund still thinks Sancho will sign for United this summer. But last and not least, Fabrizio Romano says talks are still on, personal terms have been agreed and it is up to the two clubs. He also stated that the instalments and add-ons are not agreed which seems to be where the problems lie.

That said, Solskjaer still talked about transfers during his press conference ahead of the UEFA Europa League round of 16 second leg match against Linzer ASK at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening. Journalists will continue to ask questions in order to get a rise out of the manager which may lead to more information. However, the manager will remain coy about everything. Solskjaer will always give answer like a politician, not really answering the question but giving some information. With the transfer window closing on the 5 October, United have plenty of time, which is what the gist of what Solskjaer said was, saying:

“This transfer window is a long one, every transfer takes its course. It is what it is.

“At the moment, I have no updates for you, If there’s any news we’ll update you.”

If Palmeri is right and United have made a €100 million bid for Sancho, whether that is the full fee or if there will be add-ons is not yet known but that figure would take the bid over £90 million. Dortmund want €120 million for the player, which means the remaining €20 million could be in add-ons which might guarantee money in January or even next summer for the club, or much later depending on the terms of the add-ons, if there are any. United obviously want the deal to be completed, otherwise they would not have bothered getting involved in any protracted transfer scenario.

Written by John Walker

Manchester United’s transfer plans seem to be commencing a week after the summer transfer window opened as the Premier League season came to a close. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s number one target this summer was Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho and it looks like things could soon start falling into place. The Bundesliga club have been stick to their guns for months now, regurgitating their desire for their €120 million (£108 million) price tag to be met in order to sell the player this summer.

German newspaper Bild started with reports on Monday suggesting that United will pay the fee for the player and that Dortmund understand that instalments would need to be paid, which Christian Falk, the head of football for Sports Bild has reported. This seems to be positive news ahead of the German club’s deadline which has been set for the 10 August which in a week today. Former footballer Jan Aage Fjortoft backed up these reports, stating that United have offered an initial €70 million with two further instalments; €30 million and €20 million to be paid later.

The best part of these reports that have come out today is that Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that United and Dortmund are now on ‘advanced talks’ regarding Sancho, which is great news and certainly suggests that the reports from yesterday, which I did not believe, were not true with United set to ignore the 10 August deadline to sign Sancho this summer which in my opinion, would have angered Dortmund and led to discussions being cancelled with no chance of United getting a better deal for the player, which if true, would have served them right.

Obviously, the deadline of the 10 August for United to get a deal done for Sancho is there to ensure the German clubs preparations for the new season are not hampered with elongated transfer talks and speculation surrounding the 20-year-old English winger. This deadline would also serve as giving the club time to find a replacement for the winger ahead of the start of the new Bundesliga season, which will commence on Friday 18 September 2020.

One player that has been linked to Borussia Dortmund is former United forward Memphis Depay who currently plays for Lyon. This rumours has been reported by The Sun. Dortmund will end up finding a replacement. They will probably have known that United would be making a move for the 20-year-old this summer so will have had plenty of time to get a list of individuals to replace the player. It need not be a young player either as the club has signed 17-year-old Jude Bellingham from Birmingham City this summer, so that could add to the excitement for the supporters.

One thing is for sure, this seems to be heading in a positive direction for United with a week to go before Dortmund’s deadline to sign Sancho has passed. Transfers can be completed very quickly if both clubs have agreement. United may need to learn their lesson that whilst they might have financial might, clubs will not be lining up to give them a discount based on the fact they club has paid massive transfer fees for flops in the past seven years. United will have to meet the demands they are faced with to better their squad quality this summer, which is important.

Written by John Walker

Manchester United are reportedly not going to be held to ransom by Borussia Dortmund in their pursuit for Jadon Sancho this summer. It is suggested that the Bundesliga club will be seeking to receive £108 million for the England winger this summer, giving United deadline to sign the player before the 10 August, which is when the club commences their pre-season training camp. However, the Manchester Evening News, via The Sun has reported that United will defy the deadline in order to get the winger for a lower fee.

The logic behind this report does not match anything I have ever seen before. The sheer contempt of this would make most clubs willing to sell a player for a set fee decide not to do business with the Old Trafford club again. How is defying a deadline going to equate to you being able to get the player for a lower transfer fee? Dortmund have stated that they will not sell the player after the 10 August 2020 as they will be getting ready for the 2020/21 season, therefore unwilling to sell the player.

It would seem that this report has either been generated from some spam farm, aiming to keep the reports on this prospective deal running throughout the summer on what could have been a slow news day, or there has been a leak from the club that seems to still be run in the Glazernomics strategy, which seems to be knowing nothing about anything and assuming that a club will be begging to do business with United at a later date, selling their prized asset for a lot less than they originally wanted. Sadly Carlsberg to not do summer transfer windows.

The summer transfer window has been open for a week now and there are eight more days remaining until the deadline set by Borussia Dortmund. You can see why the club has set this deadline, aiming to keep any departures limited to a set period, giving the club time to find a replacement, get a deal done for them and implement them into the first team ready for the new Bundesliga season. However, if this is true, United have other plans and will probably remain disappointed.

Whilst it may seem defiant to suggest that you are not going to be controlled by another club, therefore not adhering to their demands, it would serve United right if they continue being linked to Sancho throughout the summer, contacting the Bundesliga club before the transfer window closes in October only for them to be quoted a bigger fee for Sancho or to be told that the player is not for sale anymore. United should be seeking to adhere to the German clubs demands.

It would seem clear that United are still no further in moving forward, if these reports are true, which seem doubtful. I would suggest it is more of a no news days so the writer of this ‘masterpiece’ needed to get something published to keep the hits coming into the website. It would seem that people with little knowledge are now getting paid to write things that a three-year-old would be proud of. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens. It seems clear that some journalists don’t have much of a clue anymore but a willingness to keep the money rolling in for their employers. Great stuff.

Written by John Walker

Borussia Dortmund have reportedly told Manchester United that they will need to pay £108 million for Jadon Sancho by the 10 August or they will not sign the player this summer. On Friday, reports were rife that United could pay as little as £60 million upfront for Sancho, however, those reports seem to be premature. Dortmund chief Michael Zorc has told United to put up or shut up regarding the England winger this summer, sticking to the 10 August deadline.

Dortmund do not want to see the summer transfer window dominated with talk of Sancho leaving the club and you can understand why. As a United supporter, I don’t want to see words all summer either, I want to see actions. If United can afford Sancho, then need to be paying Dortmund what they want for the player or making an offer which is close to the fee that they want to get for him, then seeing if a deal can be done then. There is little time to play games, which United tend to play.

It seems strange the the reports on Friday were published when they were going to be contradicted a day later. It has been clear that Dortmund want a certain fee to let Sancho leave this summer and it has also been clear that the German club will not negotiate, especially with the small fee that has been mentioned in the last 24 hours or so. United will need to get their minds made up and sort out their future, which could be good with Sancho involved. Reported by The Sun, Zorc said:

“There is no room for negotiation, 120 million Euros is the only acceptable fee. Dortmund start their training camp in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland, on August 10, there will be no sale after that date.”

Sancho made a total of 44 appearances for Borussia Dortmund during the 2019/20 season, scoring 20 goals and 20 assists in all competitions meaning he was involved in a goal every 0.90 matches, which is a great stat. In terms of his appearances at Dortmund since he signed for the club and came through the youth teams into the first team, he has made 99 appearances, scoring 34 goals and 43 assists and has a goal involvement every 0.78 matches, which is still a great stat for the 20-year-old.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would no doubt want the player involved in his squad for the 2020/21 season which would add an extra dimension of attacking to the squad with the reliance on Anthony Martial (22 goals, 10 assists), Marcus Rashford (22 goals, 10 assists) and Mason Greenwood (17 goals, five assists), which could also see the England winger add to the goal and assist tallies of the current United attacking players at the club. He would also continue Solskjaer’s faith in youth philosophy.

United will know what they need to do if they want to sign Sancho. It would be the best money spend as long as the player continues his development at the club, rising to be one of the best players in Europe and possible the world. He could have the same impact as Cristiano Ronaldo had at the club, having the best years of his career ahead of him and aiming to help the club challenge for the Premier League, Emirates FA Cup, Carabao Cup and even the UEFA Champions League.

Written by John Walker

Manchester United have reportedly moved closer to signing Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho this summer with the Bundesliga club coming to the conclusion that their fee for the player may not be met in one lump sum with an initial fee payable then instalments and add-ons to be included. It is the best deal they are going to get this summer because of the coronavirus pandemic, which is still causing problems for world football this summer.

It has been suggested that an initial £60 million fee could be paid for the player with a number of instalments to be paid and of course add-on clauses to be included. United opted for this kind of deal when they signed Bruno Fernandes in January which could see a further £9 million paid for the player this summer on completion of 20 appearances for the club and United qualifying for the UEFA Champions League after finishing third in the Premier League.

These reports come from the Independent. It is stated that the incentivised fees could see the deal rise to over £100 million this summer, which is around the figure that Dortmund wanted to receive for the player this summer. United seem to be the only club that could afford this figure with no other clubs coming forward and staking their claim for the England winger, who is tipped to become something big in football during his career, which is still ahead of him considering he’s only 20.

Sancho cost Dortmund just £7 million in the summer of 2017 so they will make some return on their initial investment, which is something the club could become proud of. During the past season, Sancho made a total of 44 appearances for the club, scoring 20 goals and 20 assists, meaning he contributes to a goalscoring action every 0.90 matches, based on the 2019/20 season. The player is contracted to the Germany club until the summer of 2022, which is why the club will call the shots this summer.

During his time at the Bundesliga club, Sancho has played 99 times, scoring 34 goals and 43 assists, meaning his total goal contribution at the club, playing in the first team is a goal or assist every 0.78 matches, which is a great statistic. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gets his man this summer, United will be ready to go next season. It has been a long time since the right-wing position has been strengthened and with the rise of Mason Greenwood, the position will be pretty strong for the future.

It could well be an exciting summer for United. There are many players being linked to the club so far this summer but Sancho will be the one with the most interest paid so far this summer. United will have a deadline to get the signing completed as the German club would like to have the player’s future resolved before they head to their summer training camp early next month which will give United fewer than ten days to get the deal completed. Can United do it? Hopefully they can.

Written by John Walker

Manchester United are growing increasingly confident that a deal for Jadon Sancho can be done with Borussia Dortmund this summer, according to Sky Sports. The report also states that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s has cooled interest on Aston Villa attacking midfielder Jack Grealish. Discussions for Sancho, 20 are said to revolve around the transfer fee and the structure of the payments and that personal terms with the player do not seem to be a problem.

This all seems very positive. However, Sky Sports have not been the most reliable authority when it comes to transfers. It is suggested that Dortmund are holding out for €120 million for the 20-year-old, which is around £109 million. This would be a new transfer record for the Old Trafford club, some £20 million more than what the club spent on Paul Pogba four years ago. It is said that United do not want to go that high to sign the player this summer because of the coronavirus pandemic.

United and probably every club around the world has taken a financial hit because of the pandemic which has affected the financial might of many clubs including United. Matchday revenue has decreased because the game has been played with no supporters in stadiums and until that changes, clubs will be haemorrhaging money, which is not a good sign. However, the Bundesliga club hold the key in a deal being done, which is something that could happen.

It is stated that Dortmund would like to get €100 million (£90.5 million) as an immediate payment for Sancho this summer with any suitor of the player given a deadline of the 10 August 2020 to get a deal done, which is the date the squad will return to the club for pre-season training, which will also give the club time to find a replacement for the player. Sky Sports suggest that Lille forward Jonathan Ikone is a potential replacement with the player valued €50 million (£42.25 million).

Despote reports the other day which suggested United had an £89 million bid for Sancho rejected, it has been stated that United have not yet placed for the player but that they are the only club, so far, to have lodged official contact with the German club, which looks promising. There will be a lot for United to do in order to sort out a deal and time is not on their hands. I would imagine that Ed Woodward, United’s executive vice-chairman, would need to be at the top of his game to get something done in time and personally, I don’t have much confidence in that happening.

During the course of the 2019/20 season, which was delayed for around three months because of the coronavirus pandemic, Sancho made a total of 44 appearances for his club, playing in the Bundesliga, the UEFA Champions League, the DFB-Pokal and the DFL-Supercup. He scored 20 goals and 40 assists, meaning he had a goal involvement of 0.90, which is almost a goal of assist in every match he played. With the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood scoring 61 goals and 26 assists so far this season, the addition of Sancho could make United a team that scores far more goals.

Sancho is the most talked about name so far this summer and there are many reports stating things about what could and could not happen this summer. German publication Kicker has suggested that the England winger would prefer to sign for Liverpool due to an ‘increased likelihood of winning a Premier League title with Jurgen Klopp’s side’, which was reported by the Daily Mail. Whilst this would seem to be something special for Liverpool supporters, who seem to think they are the best thing since sliced bread this season, even with players claiming a Premier League and Champions League double this season, paraded with both trophies, one of which was won last season – small time.

Now, I like to think about things and come to a conclusion as to why it might have been said. As far as we know, Sancho has not said anything about the club he would leave Dortmund for, so where did this come from? Like most things in the media these days, these things are classed as rumours. One thing about rumours are that they might not be true. To the Liverpool fans reading this, you will probably try to make out that I am just trying to deflect the truth, however, can you provide proof that this ‘rumour’ is in fact corroborable with any facts to allow a confirmation to be made? My reckoning on this is why would a talented player say anything like this. Liverpool have just won their first league title in 30 years.

Granted they have improved and won the league at a canter but one title in 30 years hardly suggests that they will continue winning the title for ten years or more. The same could be said for United if they win their first league title in eight years next season. If a player thought it was easier to win the title at a club that has just won a league title, it can be seen as the player insulting themselves and their talent. Surely, a top class player would be able to make a difference at many clubs. United is a team in transition and with a set plan to overturn their recent regression. A player like Sancho could be the difference, therefore making it just as easy to win a league title with United as it would be with Liverpool. Sometimes people say things and write things that don’t have logic applied. This is why things are classed as rumour.

Written by John Walker

Borussia Dortmund have reportedly started scouting a replacement for Jadon Sancho ahead of a prospective summer move to Manchester United for the 20-year-old. The Telegraph have reported that Werder Bremen’s Milot Rashica could be a target if the England winger leave the Bundesliga club this summer. United have been linked with the former Manchester City academy graduate for about a year now with suggestions that they could make their move for the player this year.

At this moment in time, there is a big difference in the valuations of Sancho by Dortmund and United with the former wanting £100 million plus for the player and the latter suggesting a bid of £80 million would be a take it or leave it offer. However, that said, Dortmund’s sporting director Michael Zorc expects the deal to be completed eventually and is no looking at other attacking targets with the view of making a move to replace the player. This could be a boost for United, if so.

Rashica could just be one of the names in the frame to replace Sancho, if push comes to shove. The Bundesliga experienced player made a total of 34 appearances for Werder Bremen this season, scoring 11 goals and eight assists and despite being 24, four years older than Sancho, the player could have the talent to succeed the talented England winger who could be set for stardom in the years to some. Dortmund will be happy to make a profit on their initial £8 million, as reported by The Guardian.

United will need a player like Sancho in their squad next season as it is clear the quality is lacking in the team after the players have been unable to string good performances together for the past few matches, losing 31- to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday and drawing 1-1 with West Ham United in the Premier League, when to take advantage of the likes of Chelsea and Leicester City, needed to win. An injection of quality in the team would do a world of good for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his squad.

The transfer window will open on Monday, after the final matches of the Premier League are played this season. Despite the fact that the FA Cup final, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League are still set to be completed, with the former being played on the 1 August 2020 with the other two tournaments being restarted the week after next. United will know if they have qualified for the Champions League through their league position on Sunday evening.

Thinking about it, United will need Champions League football to be an attraction for some of the top players in the world. Sancho has been playing in the competition since he first played for Dortmund so will want to continue. However, that said, United are a club that could open a lot of prospects for the player, be it marketing, merchandising or other options, the player could become a star in the same vein as Cristiano Ronaldo at the Old Trafford club.

Written by John Walker