Sancho to Dortmund stalls on ‘IMPOSSIBLE’ clause

Robin Bairner

• 6 Jan 2024 01:50 CST
• 3 min read

Jadon Sancho is expected to leave Manchester United for Borussia Dortmund in the coming hours, yet the England international was already expected to have completed a loan transfer back to the Bundesliga side.

Sancho’s switch back to BVB on a six-month basis was expected to have been completed in time for the 23-year-old to have hooked up with the German side in Marbella on Friday.

It is still anticipated that he will leave Man Utd for Dortmund, with the move simply postponed until this weekend.

Sancho’s Man Utd departure delayed

Sancho is still registered with Manchester United because negotiations between the Old Trafford club and Dortmund have not progressed as quickly as hoped. It is a scenario that Red Devils fans are well used to, but while this has caused deals to breakdown in the past, it is not thought that there is any prospect of the worst happening here.

Sky Sports Germany report that a final agreement between the parties has not been reached. The sticking point appears to be over a purchase option in the player’s loan agreement. Dortmund do not want such a stipulation built into the deal because it’s not financially feasible for them.

Florian Plettenberg took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to report: “Still not a done deal between Dortmund and Man Utd. All involved parties hope Jadon Sancho can fly to Marbella this weekend.

“Dortmund won’t secure an option to buy for Sancho. It’s impossible. That’s confirmed.”

Two factors make a full-time return to the Bundesliga side impossible for the England winger.

Firstly, his wages at Man Utd are astronomical. He reportedly earns close to €350,000 (£300,000) per week, the majority of which will be subsidised by Erik ten Hag’s side during the loan period.

On top of that, the Old Trafford side will demand a substantial transfer fee in the summer for a player still under contract until June 2026.

As such, Sancho will be returning to Man Utd at the end of the season – assuming this deal with Dortmund eventually finds a positive outcome, which is a strong probability.