Man Utd to let shambolic signing walk with free transfer lined up – sources

Manchester United are ready to ignore their option to extend Jadon Sancho’s contract by a year in favour of letting the winger leave on a free, and a report claims a move to a Premier League rival is already in the works.

Much was expected of Sancho when Man Utd splashed out £73m for the Borussia Dortmund man back in 2021. Sacnho had dazzled in the Bundesliga, notching an incredible 76 goal contributions over his final two seasons in black and yellow.

Yet the going proved much tougher at Old Trafford and after 83 appearances for the Red Devils, his tally reads just 12 goals and six assists.

Sancho has been loaned out on three separate occasions, with his latest stint away coming at Villa Park.

No option or obligation to buy was included in the deal given Sancho is out of contract at Man Utd next summer anyway.

As such, Man Utd are facing up to losing one of their most expensive ever signings for nothing despite the player being in his mid-twenties.

A recent report from National World claimed Unai Emery and Aston Villa have already seen enough from Sancho to warrant signing him outright.

But of course, it was stressed Villa want to land Sancho in a permanent deal next summer ‘without paying a penny’.

One avenue open to Man Utd is triggering the one-year extension in Sancho’s contract before looking to secure a sale. Doing so could result in Man Utd collecting a fee and not losing the player for nothing.

However, transfer insider, Dean Jones, has provided TEAMtalk with an exclusive update on Sancho and from what he’s hearing, Man Utd will NOT activate the option.

Explaining why, Jones said: “People talk about extending in order to avoid losing him on a free but who is going to buy him? That’s been one of the big problems.

“Also, if they activate an extension clause, then you have to consider the salary that still then continues.

“One of United’s big issues with the out of favour players has been that they were all earning so much money and that they’ve been stuck with them clogging up the wage bill – so while it’s obviously not ideal to lose Sancho on a free transfer after spending so much money on him, it might just be worth cutting ties.

“It is unlikely they are going to get anyone to pay a good fee for him unless he has an incredible season at Villa.”

Why Man Utd must bite the bullet and get rid ASAP

As mentioned, Sancho is a high earner at Old Trafford and Man Utd extending his deal would leave the club on the hook for 12 more months of sizeable wage payments if a buyer isn’t found.

Villa do appear genuinely interested in signing Sancho outright, but again, the report from National World stressed they want a free transfer.

Man Utd did accept a loan proposal from Roma over the summer that contained an obligation to buy worth £20m.

However, Sancho was not on board with the move and after Roma could not agree personal terms, the deal collapsed.

Sancho being selective with who he’s willing to join is another reason why Man Utd would be wise to admit defeat and draw a line under the shambolic transfer at the first available opportunity.

Latest Man Utd news – Midfield signing / Iraola chosen / Rashford blasted

In other news, Man Utd are ‘very close’ to signing a new midfielder in the form of Mouhamed Dabo.

That’s according to AfricaFoot who state a move for the 17-year-old Senegalese is currently being finalised.

The president of the Be Sport Academy where Dabo plays has reportedly flown into England to seal the deal.

Elsewhere, TEAMtalk understands Man Utd have identified Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola as their top choice in the event they sack Ruben Amorim.

Finally, Alan Shearer has torn into Marcos Rashford and branded his recent behaviour at Barcelona “unprofessional”.