Top-four failure sees nailed-on £100m transfer fall through for Man Utd

Manchester United were certain to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in a £100m deal this summer – until the late end-of-season collapse saw them blow their top-four place.

That’s according to BBC journalist David Ornstein, who claims the Red Devils were ‘nailed-on’ to bring the England winger to Old Trafford had they secured Champions League football next season.

The 19-year-old forward is considered one of European football’s best young talents after a stellar season in the Bundesliga saw him notch 11 goals and weigh in with 14 assists during his first full season with Borussia Dortmund.

And according to Ornstein, a move to United had been Sancho’s “preferred option” had Dortmund chosen to cash-in on the teenager this summer.

However, Ornstein now claims Sancho has serious reservations about United’s abilities to challenge for the game’s top honours after a run of matches that saw the club win just two of their final matches.

The likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus have also been credited with an interest in Sancho, though it now seems more likely the England winger will stay at the Signal Iduna Park for this summer at least.

Dortmund’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke addressed the constant speculation surrounding Sancho recently and insisted the club had no desire to cash in on their prized asset.

“I don’t care about that. Everybody knows that Jadon will play for us next year, Watzke said. “That’s a fact and we don’t have a price tag for him. And because everybody in Europe knows that nobody contacted us.”

Solskjaer is said to favour spending the bulk of his transfer kitty on strengthening United’s defence, with a new centre-half and a new right-back seemingly top of his wishlist, though talk of a move for Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly has been cooled due to the costs involved.

United are also now considered more likely to bolster their forward line with an upcoming talent; Swansea’s Dan James – who would cost around £10m – has been mentioned as a top target.

 

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