"I told Sancho, don't go to Manchester United" - Arsenal star's brother

Cameron Smith

Updated: 14 Sept 2021 08:37 BST
3 min read

Jadon Sancho after signing for Man Utd from Borussia Dortmund — © ProShots

The brother of Arsenal's Folarin Balogun has revealed he tried to sway Jadon Sancho into joining Chelsea rather than Manchester United.

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Sancho, of course, joined Man Utd in a £72 million deal from Borussia Dortmund this summer, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer upgraded his attacking options.

The Old Trafford club were seemingly the only side in for Sancho this summer, but 12 months ago, Chelsea were reportedly in the hunt, and Royce Balogun has admitted he attempted to change Sancho's mind about Man Utd, and join the Blues.

What has been said?

Royce, the older brother of Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun, said this on the What The Footie Pod: "I actually told him (Sancho), don't go to Manchester United because he was a Chelsea fan.

"I would have absolutely loved to see him at Chelsea."

Sancho is a boyhood Chelsea fan, and the prospect of playing at Stamford Bridge is rumoured to have peaked his interest, but he opted for Man Utd in the end.

The English forward has been joined by Cristiano Ronaldo in the Man Utd attack, and has swapped the yellow and black of Dortmund for the red of Man Utd.

Chelsea, however, seemed confident of landing the winger back in 2020 when they went on somewhat of a spending spree. The Blues brought in the likes of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, and Ben Chilwell as they attempted to close the gap to the true big dogs in European football. Under Thomas Tuchel they achieved that by winning the Champions League, and Sancho wasn't needed.

Sancho managed 16 goals and 19 assists in all competitions last season, and it was that form that convinced Man Utd that he was the missing piece in their puzzle.

Folarin Balogun made his Premier League debut in Arsenal's opener against Brentford, starting the game with several other options unavailable. His brother, however, was keen on helping another London side, although Royce's attempts to convince Sancho to sign for Chelsea fell on deaf ears.