Jadon Sancho is on a season-long loan deal with Chelsea that includes an obligation to buy but the winger could be returned to Man Utd.
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Jadon Sancho
Jadon Sancho is struggling to make an impression at Chelsea this season
Chelsea will have to pay Manchester United a significant fee if they wish to break their agreement to sign Jadon Sancho on a permanent deal this summer.
The two clubs agreed on a season-long loan for Sancho at Stamford Bridge last summer that included an obligation to buy if the Londoners finished higher than 14th in the Premier League, which is something they are on course to do.
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But Sancho's form has tailed off dramatically, and after Chelsea agreed a deal to sign winger and United target Geovany Quenda last week, there are reports they are considering finding a way out of the deal to sign Sancho. The 24-year-old has two goals and six assists in 28 appearances for Chelsea but only one assist in his last 18 games for the club and his performances have dipped after a bright start.
Quenda, 17, will add to the competition in wide areas at Stamford Bridge, with Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, and Christopher Nkunku also used on the wing. Mykhailo Mudryk remains provisionally suspended pending the outcome of a failed drug test, but Brazilian teenager Estevao Willian will join the club this week.
The agreement between United and Chelsea includes a penalty clause that would make it easy for the Blues to back out of the deal. However, they would have to pay United a fee stretching to millions of pounds to return Sancho to Old Trafford.
That would be a financial boost to United at a key time, although it could present them with a fresh problem over Sancho's future. With Chelsea yet to inform the club they are reneging on the deal, Old Trafford figures are still working to the assumption that he will depart.
But if he does return, a decision will then be made on whether to try to reintegrate him into Ruben Amorim's squad or seek another exit. Sancho's recent form for Chelsea hasn't done much to generate a market, so a loan offer could be considered.
The former Borussia Dortmund winger's Old Trafford contract expires at the end of the next season but there is the option of an additional year, and United will give consideration to triggering the option, although if he was to leave on loan without significant interest in a permanent deal, they could allow his contract to run down and bank the savings on his wages through next season that a loan move would offer.
Antony is making a name for himself in Spain
Antony is making a name for himself in Spain(Image: Getty)
Meanwhile, United are yet to hear from Real Betis about extending Antony’s loan into the 2025/26 season, despite the La Liga club making it clear they want to keep the Brazilian winger for another campaign.
The 25-year-old has made a bright start to life with Betis but United are expected to seek a permanent exit this summer rather than another loan move.
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