Borussia Dortmund director insists Jadon Sancho will not leave this summer

If you haven’t noticed, today is August 10th and if you are a Manchester United fan hoping for the “Jadon Sancho transfer to United completed” headline, you still might have time to return your newly printed “Sancho 7” jersey.

Reports coming out of Germany claim that the English international won’t be leaving for Old Trafford this season, confirmed by Borussia Dortmund’s sporting director Michael Zorc, saying the “decision is final” that Sancho will remain with the club this season.

“We plan on having Jadon Sancho in our team this season, the decision is final. I think that answers all our questions,” he told a press conference.

BVB wanted the deal completed by today before they headed out to the pre-season training camp and apparently United were unwilling to pay the Bundesliga side’s €120 million valuation for Sancho.

In an interview last week, Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke ruled out a transfer of Sancho once their training camp started.

It appeared both sides were close to an agreement and all that was left was to agree on terms, with it being understood United would make an upfront payment then installments with add-ons, but negotiations became more difficult with Zorc’s revelation that the 20-year-old’s contract has three years left to run and not two as originally thought.

“Last summer we adjusted the salary to the performance development of Jadon. In this context, we have extended the contract until 2023,” Zorc said.

Tight-lipped manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United admitted signing Sancho presented a significant challenge but refused to be drawn on their pursuit last week.

Asked how difficult, Solskjaer said: “Well, we’re looking into all transfers differently. I’m not going to speak about individuals that are not our players.”

Other reports say that United have not given up hope of signing Sancho, and that this latest statement from Dortmund is another negotiation tactic. In any case, with the transfer window open until October 5th, we doubt this is the last we hear of this one.