Man Utd & Borussia Dortmund nearing Jadon Sancho agreement

Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund are nearing an agreement for the transfer of Jadon Sancho, with ongoing talks surrounding a proposed deal feeling very different this summer to how they did last year when negotiations broke down.

United have been seriously targeting Sancho for the past two years and were confident for months about being able to secure a deal in the summer of 2020, until the coronavirus pandemic struck in March and completely changed the global football landscape. Dortmund then stood firm on a price tag in excess of £100m that United were no longer prepared to pay in the circumstances.

Dortmund have long had an informal agreement with Sancho that they will let him go for the right price. Now, however, the valuation has come down and 90min revealed in May that sources on both sides of the table feel the clubs will settle for around £75m.

Lines of communications between United and the player’s camp have never closed and the club has been impressed by the maturity and professionalism Sancho has shown throughout the saga, staying respectful to both sides and refusing to burn any bridges.

A bid worth £67m has been rejected by Dortmund, who are thought to have asked for up to £10m more than that plus a little extra in add-ons. There remains some more negotiating to be done on the overall number - £75m would be meeting in the middle – while the exact structure also needs to be ironed out. But this now feels significantly different and of more substance than it did last year.

A source with knowledge of the deal and talks has informed 90min that things are progressing and have been doing for a number of weeks already.

There continues to be back and forth between United and Dortmund but a complete agreement isn’t far away and the deal could be closed within a matter of weeks. The only thing that could derail it is if either club suddenly move the goalposts, but that is seen as unlikely.

A right winger has been a crucial part of United’s recruitment planning ever since manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed on a permanent basis in 2019. The Norwegian firmly believes Sancho is the right target in full agreement with the scouts and analysts.

United have continued to scout possible alternatives throughout the saga, including Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze, in order to give themselves options should a deal with Dortmund fail to happen. But the club has always been sure that Sancho is the player they really want, while his determination to make the switch to Old Trafford has crucially also never wavered.

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