Jadon Sancho was one of the Manchester United stars singled out by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who revealed that the Old Trafford flop will cost the club another £17million this summer even though he is now playing on loan at Chelsea.
Sancho’s move to Stamford Bridge includes an obligation for Chelsea to buy him at the end of the season if they finish 14th or higher in the Premier League for a fee of between £22-25m based on their final position. Enzo Maresca’s side are currently in fourth, 15 points ahead of the team in 14th which is ironically United.
However, Confidential has learned there is still a possibility that Sancho could end up back at Old Trafford this summer if Chelsea decide not to go through with the deal – although we can reveal it would cost what insiders say is ‘a significant penalty’ to pull out under the terms of their agreement with United.
Chelsea are believed to be looking at a number of wingers this summer, including exciting Real Betis talent Jesus Rodriguez.
Another issue could be Sancho’s contract with Chelsea. Players often agree terms with their new club before joining on loan with a view to a permanent move, but it’s understood the 24-year-old has yet to do so.
Sancho insists he is happy at Stamford Bridge, saying after Sunday’s win over Leicester: ‘I’m really delighted that I’m here, playing football at Chelsea. Maresca makes us feel at home. It’s not easy for players to say that. We’ve grown into one big family.’
Jadon Sancho could return to Man United in the summer – but for a costly fee for Chelsea
That would come as a surprise for United fans who thought they had seen the back of Sancho
Sancho had a public falling out with Erik ten Hag in 2023 and he sent him on loan to Borussia Dortmund soon afterwards
But if the contract situation remains unresolved at the end of the season, Chelsea will have two options: to go through with the transfer and then sell Sancho to another club, or send him back to United and incur the financial penalty.
That would come as a surprise for United fans who thought they had seen the back of Sancho after he returned to the club last summer following a spell on loan at his old club Borussia Dortmund in the wake of a public fallout with Erik ten Hag.
As Ratcliffe disclosed on Monday when he laid bare the extent of United’s overspending, the club will pay off the latest £17m chunk of Sancho’s £73m transfer fee when he signed from Dortmund in 2021.
He still has 16 months left on a five-year, £250,000-a-week contract, with United paying a portion of his wages while on loan at Chelsea.
It could be an awkward return for Sancho too after he came under fire for posting the word ‘freedom’ in response to a message on social media from Marcus Rashford after his old teammate moved to Aston Villa on loan.
Asked about Sancho last month, head coach Ruben Amorim said: ‘I’m focused on my players and my problems. Sancho is not my problem.’ As Ten Hag discovered, it’s not a problem that goes away easily.
United count the cost
The other players namechecked by Ratcliffe were Antony, Casemiro, Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana and Lisandro Martinez.
While Martinez and Onana might have reason to feel a little aggrieved, United are likely to take a big hit this summer as they look to refresh a squad full of expensive stars on big salaries.
Antony is prospering on loan at Real Betis who are likely to start the bidding at around £25m if they decide to sign the Brazil winger on a permanent basis
Rasmus Hojlund is struggling for form and confidence amid a marathon barren run stretching back 20 games without a goal
Antony is prospering on loan at Real Betis who are likely to start the bidding at around £25m if they decide to sign the Brazil winger on a permanent basis – well short of the £86m United paid Ajax in the summer of 2022.
The Old Trafford hierarchy are keen to get Casemiro’s £375,000-a-week wages off the books and would accept a drastic reduction on the £70m it cost to sign him from Real Madrid in 2022.
Hojlund, meanwhile, is struggling for form and confidence amid a marathon barren run stretching back 20 games without a goal. If United decide to cut their losses, they will get substantially less than the £72m paid to Atalanta last year.
Even taking into account the amortisation (book value, to the rest of us) on their contracts, the club face making a substantial loss.
United would listen to offers for practically all their players with £60m Mason Mount another player who would sell for a lot less than he cost. Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton are set to leave as free agents.
Cut-price Rashford
If the cost of rebuilding United’s squad wasn’t steep enough, Confidential understands that the club could bank as little as £20m from selling Marcus Rashford this summer.
Rashford is on loan at Aston Villa who are paying a minimum of 75 per cent of his £315,000-a-week wages until June 30 and have an option to buy him in a permanent deal for £40m.
Marcus Rashford has been rejuvenated on loan at Aston Villa since joining in January
Other clubs could get Rashford for the same price but none of them – including Villa – are likely to match his current salary, which was given to the Wythenshawe-born star at the height of Paris Saint-Germain’s interest in him and has more than three years to run.
United would have to give Rashford a pay-off to make up for the drop in wages, which insiders believe would be in the region of £20m – halving the figure they would receive as a transfer fee.
Fergie’s Chicago tour-ture
Confirmation that United will return to (and be based in) Chicago on their tour of the US this summer revived memories of their ill-fated visit to the Windy City in 2004.
The press release announcing the game against Bournemouth there in July said that ‘United’s only previous appearance at Soldier Field came in 2011 against Chicago Fire’.
It neglects to mention the game in 2004 which ended in a goalless draw with Bayern Munich, prompting boos from the crowd and widespread criticism from the US media – not least because United were without a bunch of star players due to the Euros, Copa America and forthcoming Athens Olympics.
A goalless draw with Bayern Munich in Chicago prompted boos from the crowd and criticism from the US media – not least because United were without a bunch of star players
It said much about American ignorance of the sport in those days that Illinois-born Jonathan Spector was introduced on his United debut as Phil Spector, the music mogul who was accused and subsequently convicted of the murder actress Lana Clarkson at his home the previous year.
Stung by the negative publicity over his team’s lack of star quality, Sir Alex Ferguson summoned the Neville brothers to Philadelphia for the second game against Celtic, and Paul Scholes and Mikel Silvestre for the third match against AC Milan in New Jersey.
There are no such problems these days as United prepare to embark on their third US tour in a row. The squad will be based in Chicago for the Premier League Summer Series round-robin tournament, flying to New Jersey to play West Ham in the first game and Atlanta to meet Everton in the final fixture.
DJ Dalot’s a hit
Diogo Dalot has shown his versatility over the last two seasons by playing in both full-back positions to compensate for the absence of United left backs Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and, more recently, Patrick Dorgu.
But the Portugal international has another role in the United squad – that of dressing-room DJ.
Dalot reveals: ‘I think every football player likes to hear their own music. And in the dressing-room, it’s me that puts the music on for everybody. I try to make sure that everybody likes the songs that are going on. It’s a tough job, to be honest, but I try my best.
‘I also try to feel the atmosphere a little bit. If I feel that the mood is quite comfortable or nice, people are in the same type of energy, then I just try to put on the music that everybody likes and try to vary it a little bit as well.’
Diogo Dalot has another new role – this time as the club’s dressing-room DJ!
United’s clean getaway
While United fans were making their way back from the Europa League first leg against Real Sociedad via various points on the map on Friday, Ruben Amorim and his players had no problem getting home from the Basque Country.
San Sebastian isn’t the easiest of places to get to, as United fans have found out before. The majority of them fly into neighbouring Bilbao and make the one-hour journey by road.
The United squad flew straight into San Sebastian on Wednesday evening and a kick-off of 6.45pm local time made it a no-brainer for Ruben Amorim and his players to go straight home after the 1-1 draw with Sociedad at the Reale Arena.
It was too late for United to fly from San Sebastian so the squad travelled an hour by bus to Vitoria Airport and arrived back in Manchester at 1.15am.
Schmeichel solace for Hojlund
If you need a shoulder to cry on, they don’t come much bigger than Peter Schmeichel’s and the great Dane was seen offering his support to fellow countryman Rasmus Hojlund outside Old Trafford on Sunday evening.
Hojlund was dropped to the bench for the draw with Arsenal, coming on for the last 20 minutes at Old Trafford. He has now gone nearly 21 hours without a goal and was denied on Sunday by two excellent tackles by Declan Rice and Gabriel.
Schmeichel was seen repeatedly put his arms around Hojlund’s shoulders as he spoke into his ear offering words of support.
Earlier the 61-year-old was locked in debate with another TV pundit, former Norway striker Jan Age Fjortoft, as they watched the game together in the press box.
Peter Schmeichel’s and the great Dane was seen offering his support to fellow countryman Hojlund outside Old Trafford on Sunday evening
When Bruno Fernandes stepped up to take a free kick in added time at the end of the first half, Fjortoft backed the United skipper to score while Schmeichel thought he would hit the wall, even though it turned out to be 11.2 yards away from Fernandes rather than the regulation 10 yards. Fjortoft was right.
Ex-Barca star backs Ruben
It’s been a steep and sometimes painful learning curve for Ruben Amorim at United, but an ex-team-mate is convinced the 40-year-old will get it right if he is given time.
Javier Saviola played with Amorim at Benfica between 2009 and 2012, and the former Barcelona and Real Madrid striker always knew the midfielder was cut out for coaching.
‘Ruben and I got to know each other during our time at Benfica, and we both learned a great deal from Jorge Jesus,’ Saviola tells Confidential via casino.org.
‘He was a coach who, beyond all the tactical knowledge he shared, always aimed to teach everyone around him, and we absorbed a lot from him.
It’s been a steep and sometimes painful learning curve for Ruben Amorim at United, but an ex-team-mate is convinced the 40-year-old will get it right if he is given time
Javier Saviola and Amorim were team-mates together at Benfica
‘We knew that Pablo Aimar, Amorim, and Luisao could eventually move into coaching because Jorge Jesus constantly demonstrated what training sessions truly meant—how to manage a group and handle the dynamics within the dressing room.
‘In Ruben Amorim’s case, he already showed certain qualities. When you share a dressing room with a player, you can tell who handles situations well and has the potential to become a manager. Ruben was very analytical, tactically organised the team, and you could see he had that vision.
‘However, we didn’t expect his managerial career to take off so quickly and successfully. First with Sporting, and now with Manchester United.
‘I think he needs a bit of time; he has just arrived and must adjust to what I consider the most competitive league in the world. It is a very different environment from what he was used to, but I have no doubt that he will do well.’
