- Chelsea could have signed Sancho for £25m but failed to agree personal terms
- He will now head back to United with a contract running until end of next season
- The forward has not played for United since a public falling out with Erik ten Hag
Jadon Sancho has broken his silence on his Chelsea exit after the Blues paid Manchester United £5million NOT to sign him.
The former England star had hoped to reboot his career in London after falling out of favour at United on the back of a public fallout with former manager Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag had criticised Sancho’s performances in training after he was left out of a squad to face Arsenal in 2023, with the player branding the words ‘completely untrue’ in a social media post that was later deleted.
The situation resulted in Ten Hag demanding an apology, and Sancho refusing to give one – he did not play for the Dutchman again and went on loan to Chelsea after a brief spell at former club Borussia Dortmund.
The Blues had the chance to sign him permanently for £25million this summer – a fraction of the £73m United had paid four years prior. They instead, though, opted to pay £5m to cancel a deal, with Sancho now heading back to United.
And the 25-year-old has now broken his silence on the breakdown of a potential move as his future remains up in the air back at Old Trafford.
Jadon Sancho has broken his silence on Chelsea opting not to sign him permanently
The Blues could have signed Sancho for £25million but opted to pay £5m to cancel the deal
Sancho took to social media to send a departing message to Chelsea following the news
‘Grateful for the experience,’ Sancho wrote to his 10.4m Instagram followers. ‘Big love to everyone at Chelsea who made me feel at home – team-mates, staff, and the fans.
‘Wishing the club all the best moving forward. Truly grateful, thank you Blues.’
The message accompanied a compilation of some of Sancho’s best moments in a Blues shirt, including Premier League and Conference League efforts.
Sancho would have stayed for £25m but personal terms could not be agreed with the 25-year-old over the last week. His loan runs until the end of June.
Mail Sport previously broke how Sancho’s loan deal included a way in which Chelsea could get out of their obligation to buy by paying a multi-million pound fee.
The original loan from United did not include any initial fee, so the £5m can be seen internally at Chelsea as being the same as the £5m which Aston Villa paid to take Axel Disasi on loan for the second half of the 2024-25 season.
Sancho struggled for consistency over the 2024-25 season, though he did score in the Conference League final against Real Betis, which Chelsea won 4-1.
He became a popular player within the Chelsea changing room, though the Blues hierarchy, including manager Enzo Maresca, consistently said they wanted to wait until the conclusion of the campaign before finalising his future.
Sancho will now provide a headache for Ruben Amorim as he returns to Manchester United
Sancho won the Conference League with Chelsea but won’t be playing in the Champions League with them next season
The 25-year-old shared a compilation of some of his best Blues moments in his goodbye message
He is now on his way back to Old Trafford, and will assess his options at home and abroad this summer.
Sancho had flashes of brilliance for Enzo Maresca’s side – fans even sang his name as he came off the bench to set up the winner against Bournemouth in September.
For the 23-time England international, this was a move to the club he had supported as a child and a chance to rebuild his reputation after a middling spell at United.
Sancho proved has still has quality in his locker at Chelsea, as seen in his daring run and stunning finish from outside the box against Tottenham in December.
But he was ultimately unable to bring end product on a consistent basis, scoring five and assisting 10 in 42 games across all competitions.
Sancho’s contract with United runs until 2026 and includes the option of a further year.
