Jadon Sancho wants to rejoin Borussia Dortmund in the January transfer window following his recent fall out with Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, 90min understands.
Sancho joined United from the Bundesliga club in 2021, but his career has failed to take off at Old Trafford in the two years since his £73m transfer. The 23-year-old has barely featured for United this season and was dropped from the squad completely for last month’s 3-1 defeat at Arsenal.
Ten Hag said following the game that Sancho’s performances in training had led to him being left out of the travelling party to London, though the 23-year-old later responded on social media saying he “would not allow people to say things that are untrue” and that he had been “made a scapegoat for too long”.
Sancho was subsequently excluded from first team training and remains so at this point, with some sources suggesting the relationship between Ten Hag and the player is beyond repair. An apology from Sancho may lead to his reintroduction into the team, though over a month has passed since the initial incident and there are no signs of a change in the situation on the horizon.
A number of clubs in Germany are monitoring the situation with a view to signing Sancho in early 2024, though it’s understood that former club Dortmund are the only club Sancho wants to join at this point. This too remains subject to change pending other interest in the next three months, but a deal with Dortmund could be agreed before January with the situation remaining as it is.
United would be looking to recoup a chunk of the fee they paid to sign Sancho in any permanent sale but with the player’s profile damaged and the January transfer window coming in mid-season, where high-value transfers are more rare, a loan with option or obligation to buy in summer 2024 is a more likely scenario.
90min has maintained for some time that Dortmund’s interest in Sancho has remained during his first two years at United, with the relationship between club and player still strong following four seasons together.
A change in the situation of Ten Hag – who is under growing pressure after a poor start to the season – could alter Sancho’s path at Old Trafford, though the club are firmly standing behind the manager with his disciplinary methods against Sancho and in spite of current results and performances. United are 10th in the Premier League and have lost their opening two matches in the Champions League.