Manchester United have had a £67m bid for England winger Jadon Sancho rejected by Borussia Dortmund.
The German club want about £77.5m for the 21-year-old, with an additional £4.25m bonus payment on top.
In addition to the fee not being high enough, Manchester United wanted to pay it over five years when Dortmund are only willing to accept the payment over four years.
Manchester United blew a chance to sign Sancho last season and failure to do so again will highlight their incompetence in the football transfer market as many sources suggest that Manchester is Sancho’s preferred destination.
However, United are now considering whether to revise their offer rather than give into Dortmund’s demands. Borussia Dortmund have been completely transparent about their transfers and quoted the rate at which they are willing to sell so it is up to United to now just pay that and get their man.
The rate is significantly lower than last season when Dortmund wanted a few anywhere between £100-£120 million for the England international.
The Old Trafford club will be keen to avoid a repeat of what happened a year ago as they will be wary of facing further backlash from the fans who are angered by the ownership for not investing in the club.
Asked on BBC Radio 5 Live if playing in Germany has contributed to his success on the pitch, Sancho said it has “definitely played a huge part”.
He added: “The first two years were difficult with the language and all sorts but I have settled in really well and happily got my opportunity. I took it.
“Dortmund is a quiet city, it is easy to go to training and go home. The fans love football and that is a good thing. Not being close to my family is the only thing [I don’t enjoy] but that is part of life.
“I don’t really focus on the media, I just focus on myself and what I need to do on the pitch.”
Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford share a great relationship and will be keen to play together at the club level. (Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Dortmund have a gentleman’s agreement with Sancho that they will allow him to leave the club if someone reaches their valuation before a certain point in the summer, which is likely to coincide a week or so after the end of the European Championship, with the deadline date rumoured to be 23 July for signing one of Europe’s best.
Among their major young stars, including Erling Braut Haaland and Jude Bellingham, Sancho is the only one Dortmund are willing to sell this summer.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted the Sancho deal done last season itself but had to make do with playing Mason Greenwood as a right-winger so the Norwegian will be hoping to see the youngster amongst his ranks as a right-sided attacking player is one of his priorities.
Solskjaer feels there is a lack of quality on the right-hand side of the pitch, which was clearly visible as he did not trust his bench until extra time despite his side struggling in the Europa League final against Villarreal, which they eventually lost on penalties.
United have not had a top right winger since Cristiano Ronaldo, which is extremely worrisome for the side and Sancho just seems like the perfect fit for a youthful attack that managed to finish second in the Premier League.
