Ten Hag has trick up his sleeve to finalise Sancho exit in Man Utd swap deal

Erik ten Hag has a personal connection which could grease the wheels of Jadon Sancho’s departure from Manchester United in the January transfer window.

United are hoping to sell Sancho in January after the winger refused to make peace with Ten Hag following a very public falling out in September. The 23-year-old has not played since August 26 and has been exiled from first-team training at Carrington.

The January transfer window provides a potential solution for United, who are currently getting nothing out of their £73million player who earns around £300,000 per week. His wages and the fact he is under contract until June 2026 make a January deal difficult, but Ten Hag might provide a useful link to a suitor.

Borussia Dortmund are one of the clubs who have been linked with Sancho, who contributed 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 games for the club between 2017 and 2021 before heading to Old Trafford. One way in which Dortmund might want to do business is in a swap involving Sancho and Donyell Malen.

The Daily Mail reports that Dortmund chiefs met with Malen’s representatives on Thursday to discuss his future. The 24-year-old forward has been linked with United before and, handily, he is a client of Sports Entertainment Group – an agency which is run by Ten Hag's representative Kees Vos.

Sancho is understood to have little chance of returning to the first-team picture at United while Ten Hag is still manager and while he refuses to apologise. Malen has 24 goals and 16 assists in 93 games for Dortmund and could become a like-for-like replacement for Sancho, should a deal materialise.

Juventus and Barcelona are considered other possibilities for Sancho, with a loan appearing a more likely exit route, given his huge wages at United. Financial fair play is a consideration for both European giants, who won’t be able to match what United are paying.

Al-Ettifaq reportedly made an offer late in the summer window for Sancho, but the winger is not keen on moving to Saudi Arabia at this stage of his career. But viable suitors may be limited due to the simple fact that Sancho has only contributed 12 goals and six assists in 82 appearances for United.

Sancho is just one of United’s problems to solve in January, with Donny van de Beek another player they want to get rid of. Eintracht Frankfurt are reportedly keen on landing the Dutch midfielder on an initial loan deal.

Meanwhile, United want to add another striker to their ranks to provide back up for Rasmus Hojlund. Brentford's Ivan Toney, RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner and Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy are among the forwards being considered, but the situation is complicated further by the pending arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS group as 25 per cent owners of the club.