Dortmund chief makes admission over future Jadon Sancho sale
Borussia Dortmund may not be able to keep hold of Jadon Sancho much longer, according to CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.
Sancho, 20, was Manchester United’s number one target in the summer window.
It’s understood the Bundesliga side were open to selling Sancho at the start of the summer, on their own terms.
The Bundesliga side laid out their demands – a £108m transfer fee and a deadline to do the deal by August 10.
The Red Devils failed to get a deal for the England winger over the line, despite a long-winded pursuit.
Indeed Sancho agreed personal terms at Old Trafford but his exit fee proved the key stumbling block. Dortmund wanted £108million, a fee United felt was unrealistic in the current climate.
Several senior Dortmund figures, including Watzke, expressed their confidence during the window that Sancho would stay.
And the CEO has since claimed that United “misjudged” the situation.
Instead United moved for Facundo Pellistri and Amad Diallo on the final day of the window.
But a move for Sancho next summer remains a distinct possibility with Watzke telling SportBild that the financial impact of Covid-19 means they could well sell their prized asset.
Watzke (via Sport Witness) said: “We could have made a big, valuable transfer in the summer, that’s well known. But we’re glad it didn’t come to this.
“Of course, we will also implement transfers again in the future, because Corona is clearly throwing us back. Even the biggest clubs are feeling the effects of the pandemic, be it Bayern, Barcelona or Real Madrid.
“At some point you come to the limit of what you can answer for. You can even see that in Munich right now with David Alaba as an example.”
Subscribe to TEAMtalk’s daily newsletter…
Speculation affecting Sancho
Sancho has started the Bundesliga season slowly and awaits his first goal, although he has scored in back-to-back Champions League games.
Dortmund manager Lucien Favre has hinted that Man Utd’s interest could be having an undue ‘influence’ on his early season struggles.
“Every player has slow periods,” Favre explained (via Goal).
“There was a lot of talk about Jadon in the summer, something like that can also have an influence.
“But no player is consistently in top form for a year, that’s impossible. You have to accept that.”