Race for Jadon Sancho’s signature may have few runners, but Manchester United lead the way

Borussia Dortmund’s English winger Jadon Sancho is likely to cost more than any other footballer in the close season – whenever that is. The Londoner who turned 20 last week can play on the left or right, has been a success at Dortmund’s football factory where they buy emerging talents, give them plenty of games at a high level in front of the world’s highest average league crowds of 80,000 and then sell them for a vast profit.

“We don’t buy superstars, we make them,” Dortmund’s youth coordinator (and former European Cup winner) Lars Ricken said recently. While Watford (eight years) and Manchester City (two years) might add their voice to contributing to Sancho’s rise, there are numerous players who’ve arrived young at Dortmund, thrived and then moved on for bigger contracts including Robert Lewandowski, Christian Pulisic and Mario Gotze among many others. Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, 19, will doubtless follow in two or three years if his current trajectory continues. Before that, Sancho is likely to depart before his contract, extended until 2022, starts to run down and away from Dortmund’s favour.

He’s fast, he controls the ball at speed, he wrong-foots defenders and he was talented enough to knock Christian Pulisic out of the Dortmund team for a while after he arrived from England. He’s been a reason why Dortmund have given Bayern Munich a genuine title challenge after years of the Bavarians running away with the league.

But to where? Manchester United are favourites, interested in the winger who can play on the left, right or as an attacking midfielder. He fits their recruitment profile: young, exciting, experience of playing in England. United need strengthening on the right, where he mainly plays. Sancho is on the list of their number one targets.

Sancho has enjoyed his best season yet, scoring 27 and assisting 19 times for Dortmund in 35 games. The goals and assists have been spread throughout the season – he’s consistent at such a young age and also assisted 19 goals last season.

One leading football agent who has sold players to football’s biggest clubs told the Post: “No matter how good Sancho is, there’s actually a limited market for him right now. Dortmund won’t sell to Bayern Munich, not just because they’re their biggest rivals but Dortmund are in a better financial position than when they sold players in the past like Lewandowski.

“Liverpool are not in the market for £100 million players and they don’t need him. I’ve dealt with Klopp – they’d rather pay half that amount for a player a step or two behind Sancho who they think they can improve.”

Sancho, like United’s Luke Shaw, was a Chelsea fan growing up.

“I’ve read the Chelsea speculation and I’m convinced that it’s the agents ramping up the talk to try and create an auction situation which would suit them and Dortmund,” the agent said. “Chelsea will lose Pedro and Willian for nothing when the season ends. Roman Abramovich is more about patching the squad up now than breaking transfer records. They let Morata go and brought Tammy Abraham back on loan. They took Higuain on loan. They’re not going crazy any more.

Manchester City, he believes, are unlikely to have him back. “They should never have sold him but they know him too well and they know there’s a bit of baggage with Sancho. Dortmund know he’s a great player and are ready to sell on him after a very good season, but he’s not as punctual as he could be and has missed team meetings.”

Sancho has suitors in Spain but the agent says it’s an unlikely destination.

“Real Madrid have enough players in his position. Barcelona need to cut their costs, not waste more on €100 million-plus players after doing it three times. In my opinion it leaves Man United and Paris St-Germain, but Sancho wants to go back to England. If United are clever they won’t spend €100 million on a player that Dortmund are ready to sell, more so if the markets are suppressed as I suspect they will be. I speak to all the major clubs. Nothing at all is happening in Italy right now. Spanish clubs have gone quiet – and understandably so. English and German clubs face the same uncertainty as everyone. Some clubs want to talk business, others are worried about more important things.”

There are far more important things going on in the world right now, but when football starts up again, transfer talk over England international Sancho will warm up.

“Sancho won’t end his career in Dortmund,” admitted sporting director Michael Zorc. “That much is true.”

City didn’t insist on a “United clause” when letting Sancho go, as they did with Brahim Diaz’s departure to Real Madrid. Dortmund could to sell to United, but whether selling him in an uncertain market works for them or when there will even be a transfer market hasn’t been decided.