Manchester United may balls up the Sancho transfer

Manchester United’s move for Jadon Sancho could be on the cusp of collapse, according to widespread reports in the British media.

Contrary to earlier reports that suggested that the 20-year-old England international had already agreed terms with United, the Borussia Dortmund player is apparently far from agreeing his personal contract with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

There are also suggestions that the main sticking point is Dortmund’s intransigence over the transfer fee.

There have been rumblings since the coronavirus that United and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward were not keen to meet the full 120 million euro valuation of the right winger placed upon him by Dortmund.

Another problem is that United do not want to pay the full whack up front, given that coronavirus has cost the club more than £100 million already, and they have had to draw down more than that in what is essentially a club overdraft facility.

Reports suggest that United will look elsewhere if they are not able to agree a suitable deal with Dortmund for Sancho, with potential targets suggested. One is Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspurs striker, and the other is Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish, whom it was suggested had already agreed his personal terms with United well before the coronavirus lockdown.

These reports should be taken with a pinch of salt. Woodward is known for his briefing to the press in order to attempt to exact pressure on other clubs during transfer negotiations, and there was a similar story over Bruno Fernandes’ transfer from Sporting Lisbon to United in the winter transfer window.

Dortmund and United are still likely to come to a compromise deal in the coming weeks, and while both clubs would like an early resolution, the fact is that with no domestic competitive football to come for some time, this could be dragged out for weeks, at the very least.