Manchester United are reportedly set to withdraw their interest in Borussia Dortmund and England attacker Jadon Sancho.
As per a report from the Daily Mail, Manchester United have decided to call off their pursuit of highly-rated England international Jadon Sancho, who has had a splendid 2018-19 campaign with Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund.
A product of the Manchester City academy, Sancho joined Dortmund in the summer of 2017 in search of regular first-team football and has been a revelation in his second season at the club. So far this term, the 19-year-old sensation has come up with returns of 9 goals and 18 assists from 36 matches in all competitions.
Sancho’s displays for the German heavyweights resulted in him making his debut for the England national team in October last year. Till date, the winger has accumulated four caps for the Three Lions and is likely to be a part of the squad for the UEFA Nations League finals coming up in the summer.
The rate at which Sancho has progressed over the past year or so has seen him gather a lot of admirers across Europe, none bigger than Manchester United. The Red Devils had been heavily linked with the teenage sensation, who is valued around the £100 million mark by Dortmund, in recent months.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose full-time appointment was confirmed last month, is keen on strengthening his attack heading into next season and sees the right wing as an area that needs to be reinforced. To that end, the 20-time English champions had earmarked Sancho as the ideal target and were set to launch a move for the Englishman.
However, as per the report Manchester United are ready to shelve their plans to sign the 19-year-old in the summer. The main reason behind the Red Devils’ decision is believed to be Dortmund’s unwillingness to do business as they have no intention of losing their crown jewel.
Borussia Dortmund director Michael Zorc had already issued a hands-off warning to all clubs monitoring Sancho, claiming ‘it will be very difficult even for the biggest of clubs’ to sign him, especially with the club already losing Christian Pulisic, who will be joining Chelsea at the end of the season.
Given that Sancho is contracted with Borussia Dortmund till the summer of 2022, the German heavyweights are in a strong negotiating position. Moreover, with the player also reportedly not seeking a move away at the time, Manchester United have accepted the fact that prising him away in the upcoming summer window will be a difficult task.
With the pursuit for Sancho set to be called off, Manchester United will have to look elsewhere to bolster their attack. There had been links to Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi, but that could also prove to be a dead end as per the report, while a move for former star Wilfried Zaha, who has been starring for Crystal Palace, has been mooted recently.
