League champions join Jadon Sancho race after Chelsea star makes Borussia Dortmund request

Bayer Leverkusen are preparing to battle Borussia Dortmund for the signing of wantaway Chelsea star Jadon Sancho, according to a report, with his England escape ramping up and where the star sees his future now becoming clear.

After spending the second half of last season on loan at Dortmund, Sancho secured another exit from Manchester United last summer by heading to Chelsea. The Blues signed Sancho on an initial loan with the obligation to make the move permanent for £20-25m (up to €30m / $33m) this summer.

The winger initially began to show good form in a Chelsea shirt, registering assists in his first three Premier League games for the club.

However, the goals and assists have dried up for Sancho of late and this has resulted in both the player and Chelsea considering their options.

Chelsea officials have been weighing up whether to send the London-born ace back to United, though they will have to pay a £5m fine in this instance.

On Tuesday, it emerged that Sancho is already looking for a route out of Chelsea and has asked his agent to help him join Dortmund for a third time.

GiveMeSport have now provided their information on the situation. They claim that Dortmund will not have it all their own way in the chase for Sancho, as Bundesliga rivals Leverkusen are also exploring a move.

The reigning German champions have joined Dortmund in the mix for Sancho and are ‘monitoring’ him.

Both Leverkusen and Dortmund could soon enter talks with Chelsea to give the 25-year-old what he wants – a return to Germany.

Dortmund will likely emerge as frontrunners for Sancho as he is very fond of the club, particularly after his brilliant first spell there.

Though the player could also be tempted to negotiate with Leverkusen as they have been more competitive than Dortmund lately. While Leverkusen sit second in the Bundesliga, six points behind leaders Bayern Munich, Dortmund are languishing in 11th place.

READ MORE 🔵 ‘Priority’ Chelsea summer signing named with Blues ‘out the running’ for stylish £50m ace

Jadon Sancho must stabilise career

Fabrizio Romano has insisted that Chelsea will sign Sancho permanently, despite having the option to break the agreement.

But Enzo Maresca’s side are debating whether to move him on swiftly so they can make a profit, Chelsea reporter Simon Phillips has revealed.

If this were to happen, then Chelsea would be rubbing salt in United’s wounds.

The Red Devils spent £73m on Sancho in July 2021 after he excelled at Dortmund the first time around.

But the attacker never lived up to expectations at Old Trafford and ended up falling out with ex-United boss Erik ten Hag prior to his loan move back to Dortmund last season.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has confirmed that United are still paying off that original £73m outlay, which is certainly not helping their tough financial situation.

Sancho’s United record stands at 12 goals and six assists in 83 appearances, while he has managed two goals and six assists in 28 games for Chelsea so far.

Chelsea transfers: Grealish interest; AC Milan raid

Chelsea will need a new left winger if Sancho does depart, and they could turn to Jack Grealish of Manchester City.

TEAMtalk understands Chelsea is one possible destination for Grealish after City decided they are ready to sell him.

Madueke could follow Sancho out of the Stamford Bridge exit door, too.

AC Milan have prepared a €40m (£33.5m) bid for Madueke and are supposedly ‘confident’ about landing him.

Jadon Sancho timeline

By Samuel Bannister

July 1, 2021: Manchester United announce they have reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund to sign Sancho after Euro 2020.

August 14, 2021: Sancho makes his Man Utd debut in a Premier League win over Leeds United.

November 23, 2021: Sancho scores his first Man Utd goal in a Champions League game against Villarreal.

November 28, 2021: Sancho adds his first Premier League goal against Chelsea.

April 23, 2021: Sancho makes the final appearance of his debut season, which thus ends with five goals from 38 games for Man Utd.

August 22, 2022: Sancho scores his first goal of the new season with the opener in a win over Liverpool.

December 13, 2022: Erik ten Hag says Sancho has been absent due to ‘physical and mental’ factors – with it later emerging that the club were not cleared to go public with his mental health struggles.

February 1, 2023: Sancho returns to action for the first time since October and helps Man Utd reach the EFL Cup final.

February 26, 2023: Man Utd win the EFL Cup, with Sancho appearing as a substitute for the last seven minutes.

June 3, 2023: Sancho starts the FA Cup final, but Man Utd lose to Man City. His season ends with seven goals from 41 games.

September 3, 2023: Ten Hag leaves Sancho out of his squad against Arsenal and blames ‘his performances in training’.

September 14, 2023: Man Utd announce that Sancho will be made to train separately due to a discipline issue.

January 11, 2024: After not playing since August, Sancho re-joins Borussia Dortmund on loan for the rest of the season.

January 13, 2024: Sancho provides an assist on his second debut for Dortmund.

April 28, 2024: Sancho becomes the highest-scoring English player in the history of the Bundesliga – an honour he would hold for just five months – with a goal against RB Leipzig.

June 1, 2024: Sancho starts the Champions League final at Wembley as Borussia Dortmund lose to Real Madrid.

August 10, 2024: Having held peacemaking talks with Ten Hag, Sancho plays for Man Utd in the Community Shield against Man City, but misses a penalty in the shootout.

August 31, 2024: Chelsea sign Sancho on loan with an obligation to buy if they finish in the top 14 of the Premier League.

September 14, 2024: Sancho makes his debut for Chelsea as a substitute against Bournemouth and earns the man of the match award after making an assist.

December 4, 2024: Sancho scores his first goal for Chelsea in a win over Southampton.

December 8, 2024: Sancho scores from outside the box against Spurs.