Manchester United need to pump the brakes on Jadon Sancho deal
Manchester United are desperate to sign Jadon Sancho this summer. That’s allowing Borussia Dortmund to play them like a fiddle.
Jadon Sancho is just the sort of wide man that Manchester United need to sign this summer to complete their star-studded attack. The fact that he’s English is a welcome bonus for the club. Officials at Old Trafford do need to understand that he’s not the only winger capable of filling that role for the club.
Ed Woodward and his staff’s singular focus on Sancho is starting to cause problems for United. Officials at Borussia Dortmund are fully aware of the public relations nightmare it would cause for United if they failed to sign Sancho for a second consecutive summer. That’s why the German club are wielding all of the power in negotiations at the moment.
According to Constantin Eckner, Dortmund officials claim United latest bid falls short of their demands but does provide the club “something to work with.” In other words, Dortmund believe negotiations are heading in the right direction but know they can still get more favorable terms from their English counterparts.
The narratives differ depending on who you ask.
— Dr. Constantin Eckner (@cc_eckner) June 19, 2021
Dortmund: We have received our first bid. That is something to work with, although it doesn’t quite fulfil our demands.
Should Manchester United step up for Jadon Sancho right now?
At the very least, United officials need to feign interest in a few other wingers in the coming days to try to win back some of the negotiating power. Sancho is a brilliant offensive talent, but his lack of defensive work rate is a massive hole in his current game. United need to understand that they aren’t bidding on anything resembling a fully finished player.
In fact, there’s a cogent argument to be made that United already have a player capable of filling the role being held open for Sancho. Mason Greenwood doesn’t have the same attacking flair that Sancho uses to flummox opposing defenders, but he is stronger on the ball and also has terrific finishing capabilities. It’s far from certain that Sancho will outperform Greenwood if he does make the move to Old Trafford this summer.
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In the end, United will likely up their bid slightly to finish off a deal for Sancho in the coming days. The deal will likely be an overpay for the English club based on their obvious desperation to sign the player. United can afford that sort of mistake, but it’s still an error by the club’s higher-ups.