Man City face repetition of Sancho mistake as Dortmund target wing starlet

Manchester City are bracing themselves for a bid from Borussia Dortmund for Jayden Braaf, according to reports.

Braaf joined City in 2018, but is yet to progress from the academy into the first team. At 18 years old, he is keen to kick-start his professional career.

Several players have found a quicker pathway to senior football in the Bundesliga, and now there are reports that Braaf could be on his way to Germany.

According to Bild (via Sport Witness), Dortmund are long-term admirers of Braaf, and could soon launch an offer to sign him up.

They are yet to reach an agreement with club or player, but they hope to be able to convince them.

If Braaf was to make the move, he would be following in the footsteps of Jadon Sancho, who joined Dortmund from City in 2017.

Sancho had never made a senior appearance before leaving for Germany. Since then, he has become one of the best players in the Bundesliga as well as a regular England international.

 

City will likely have some regrets about letting go of Sancho, with the winger now a target for their rivals Manchester United. His price tag is now upwards of £100m.

Therefore, City are keen to avoid a similar mistake with Braaf. However, that does not mean they will stand in the way of him leaving.

City set price tag for Braaf

If they do agree to let him go, though, City will try to include a buyback clause. They have set an initial asking price of between €8m and €10m before sanctioning a sale.

While it is not yet clear if Dortmund are prepared to pay that, the German side are clearly keen. In fact, it is claimed that they think Braaf could become a similar player to Sancho.

Therefore, they want to give him the platform from which to develop his talents in the same way they have done with the England winger.

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