The door has become more wide open for Jadon Sancho to join up with Manchester United following reports that rivals Liverpool and Chelsea are dropping out of the race to sign the Borussia Dortmund winger. If true, the only question for United is will the club pay the high price of £100 million for the teenager's transfer.
Sancho has been linked with the Jurgen Klopp side, but reportedly Liverpool will drop out of the race as the Dortmund star is seen as having the same style of Mohamed Salah. So hiring him will lead to a duplicate of talent, and the Reds are said to be unwilling to meet the asking price for the youngster.
Chelsea was also in contention, but the Blues appeared to have already sealed a deal on Hakim Ziyech from Ajax. Metro said Chelsea boss Frank Lampard will be short of cash to fund the Sancho acquisition.
If United will still be in play, securing a transfer deal this coming summer on the 19-year-old is now closer to reality for the club. According to Duncan Castles, Old Trafford has emerged as the realistic destination for Sancho.
"There's an indication that Dortmund are ready to sell in the summer, they've got the development they think they can get from him, they've raised his value to the point where they think they can get over €100 million," Castles was reported as saying.
Metro said United is in a better position to convince Sancho to make the jump as the club will likely finish the season at No. 4 of the Premier League table. That would mean United will earn a ticket to the Champions League, which should be a come-on for the England international.
The remaining problem that needs solving for United is the steep price of bringing him over to Old Trafford. As already mentioned, Sancho will be an expensive purchase and will exceed the price paid to get Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016.
He is certainly worth the trouble, though. According to Forbes, Sancho is part of the elite batch of young players that are seen as the next-generation superstars. He is in the mold of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, and Sancho's stock is predicted to only rise in the years to come.
The numbers don't lie about the youngster as his 32 appearances so far in all competition produced 16 goals and 18 assists.
"The England international would offer an option on either wing and would be a considerable upgrade on what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer currently has in the building. Sancho's intelligence, quick feet and raw pace is something to behold, especially of someone so young," Forbes said.
Sancho is an acquisition that will boost United, but the club must be prepared to break the bank on his purchase, added the report.
