After Unai Emery recently made an interesting insinuation about Jadon Sancho, the Aston Villa manager now knows Manchester United's position on the Englishman
Unai Emery manger / head coach of Aston Villa instructs Jadon Sancho of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Aston Villa at Elland Road on November 23, 2025 in Leeds, England
Unai Emery recently hinted he may considering signing Jadon Sancho permanently(Image: 2025 Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA)
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Manchester United have no plans to keep Jadon Sancho, giving Aston Villa the opportunity to sign him on a free transfer. The England international arrived at Villa Park last summer on a loan deal.
Sancho's contract at United expires at the end of June, meaning he will be a free agent once this campaign comes to an end. Along with Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford, Sancho ended up in the so-called 'Bomb Squad' under Ruben Amorim, before Unai Emery offered him an opportunity at Villa.
So far, he is yet to maintain a place in the Spaniard's starting eleven, but his performances have improved from where they were earlier in the campaign. He joined the Villans not long after his team-mate and ex-Villa loanee Marcus Rashford was loaned to Barcelona, who have an option to sign him permanently for £26m.
United's attitude towards both players is interesting, as its understood Red Devils officials regret not giving the La Liga heavyweights a more sizeable fee. Their views on Sancho are entirely different.
They want him and his substantial wages removed from the Old Trafford payroll. Sancho was believed to be collecting around £200,000 per-week following his £73million transfer from Borussia Dortmund in 2021.
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It's also understood United have been open to selling him for years, but have only been able to loan him to Dortmund and Chelsea, with the latter paying a £5m transfer penalty to avoid signing him permanently.
United do possess the option to activate a 12-month extension on Sancho's contract, but are understood to be happy to let him run his contract down.
With his contract running out at the end of June, it will be simpler for him to secure a transfer. Emery recently indicated he could be convinced to make Sancho's temporary stint at Villa Park permanent.
Jadon Sancho of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion at Villa Park on February 11, 2026 in Birmingham, England
Jadon Sancho had a slow start to life at Aston Villa(Image: 2026 Aston Villa FC)
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The Spaniard said: "Not yet, but he is a fantastic player. Hopefully he can help us by increasing his qualities in our structure like he is doing.
"He will need another contract, and maybe it could be here. If he plays his best football, we will want him. But also other teams could be involved in the interest for him.
"The first part of the season was not enough. He was working and trying, but not achieving the performance we needed. Now he is getting better. He is getting the challenge for him and us."
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