Arsenal and Liverpool hold the key to Man Utd's Sancho sale

Tom Weber

Updated: 19 Mar 2024 11:08 CDT
4 min read

Jadon Sancho, Donyell Malen, Erik ten Hag, Man Utd — © IMAGO

The futures of Donyell Malen and Jadon Sancho are inextricably entwined.

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Both will be on the move in the summer, though it is not yet clear how all the pieces of the puzzle will fit together. Donyell Malen wants out of Borussia Dortmund, according to Sky Germany, while Sancho wants to make his stay at the Westfalenstadion permanent.

The latter will only return to Man Utd if Erik ten Hag is sacked. Otherwise, he will be offloaded and Borussia Dortmund are certainly keen to keep the exciting winger permanently. If reports are to be believed, a transfer fee shouldn't be an issue, with Man Utd willing to incur a sizeable loss to get Sancho off the books.

However, despite this, it will still be a mammoth task for Borussia Dortmund to muster the €35 million that it will reportedly take to sign Sancho. This is where his teammate Donyell Malen comes into the equation.

Malen key to Sancho transfer

Borussia Dortmund will need to raise funds in order to be able to afford Sancho, but there aren't many players BVB can cash in on after what has been a disappointing Bundesliga season for them. Malen has recently emerged as a major bright spot with his good form and it's therefore very convenient that he wants to leave.

The Black and Yellow will reportedly ask for €40m-€60m for the Dutchman. A large chunk of that money would go towards signing Sancho permanently if this course of action is indeed deemed viable; his massive wages could yet become a problem. Qualifying for the Champions League will also be crucial for the Sancho deal.

Ironically, Malen was a January target for Man Utd, as revealed by FootballTransfers. Recently, there were rumours of a potential swap deal, but they were quickly quashed. German media now reports that Man Utd have cooled their interest and it is instead Arsenal and Liverpool who hold a concrete interest in the 25-year-old.

Malen is keen on a Premier League switch and he is desperate to return to Arsenal, having previously played in the club's Hale End academy. “Because I played in England as a youth player, it remains a dream to one day play in the Premier League," he said in February.

"Arsenal is my favourite club. Would I go back? Yes." By re-signing Malen, the Gunners could inadvertently help Man Utd offload Sancho.