Borussia Dortmund are doubtful that Jadon Sancho will leave this summer, despite intense speculation about a move to Manchester United.
Sancho has been linked with a switch to Old Trafford for the best part of the last year, with numerous reports claiming he is United’s number one target.
Those reports have ramped up over the last six months, to the point where a move to Manchester United has become almost inevitable.
Dortmund, though, have always made clear they will only allow their star man to leave for a record price, in this case, €120m; a significant fee to pay given how the Coronavirus outbreak has decimated finances around Europe.
And according to Kicker, it is because of this fee that there has been no movement in the potential deal as yet.
They explain that there is ‘no room for negotiations’ at Dortmund, who are not interested in accepting anything less than €120m.
Their point is instead clear: Dortmund want €120m and unless United ‘scrapes together’ that amount, they can forget it.
The newspaper explains that United chief Ed Woodward and BVB’s Managing Director Hans-Joachim Watzke know each other well, having crossed paths on the Executive Board of the ECA.
They were also the chief negotiators for Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s move to Old Trafford four years ago, when Manchester United paid €42m despite him being in the last year of his contract.
That decision led to ‘biting derision’ in England and while United usually pay up – as they did with Harry Maguire – Kicker say ‘industry insiders’ believe Woodward is keen to avoid that happening again.
Their feeling is that he wouldn’t put all his eggs in one basket, particularly given the ‘careful risk assessment’ that is taking place around Europe after COVID-19.
Thus, in Dortmund ‘there are doubts’ that a move for Sancho will even happen or be ‘successful’ given all the complications in the background.
They are not worried Sancho will try to force a move either, something Dortmund suffered with Ousmane Dembélé and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
There are ‘persistent rumours’ that he would prefer a move to Liverpool as he has ‘greater chances’ of winning the title.
Either way, a decision will have to be made by August 10th, which is the start of Dortmund’s training camp in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland.
If there is no move by, then, the transfer window for Sancho will be closed.
