Chelsea make Sancho decision as Man Utd discover £30m verdict after negotiations

Jadon Sancho spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Chelsea from Manchester United and a decision has now been made over his future after the summer transfer window opened for business

Chelsea will have to pay Manchester United £5million after failing to reach an agreement to make Jadon Sancho’s loan move permanent. Sancho spent the season on loan from United in west London and the Blues had an option to make it permanent for £25m, but talks with the winger have been unsuccessful.

The 25-year-old returned five goals and 10 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea in the 2024/25 season. He helped Enzo Maresca’s side finish fourth in the Premier League and win the Conference League and had been expected to join the club permanently.

Ruben Amorim has made it clear that Sancho is not in his plans for next season and United are desperate to offload their fringe players in the summer transfer window to fund a squad overhaul. Sancho has not enjoyed himself since signing for United from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 for £73m and will now have to search for a different exit route.

Chelsea entered talks with Sancho and his representatives following the 4-1 win over Real Betis on Wednesday, in which the winger scored. But negotiations have now been called off, according to The Athletic, with Sancho now set to leave the Blues when his loan deal expires on June 30.

Despite his modest returns on the pitch, Sancho integrated well at Chelsea and Maresca spoke glowingly of his contribution after lifting the Conference League trophy in Poland. But he will now have to search for a new club this summer, with a return to parent club United not suiting either party. The report states that Sancho has options in England and elsewhere in Europe.

He has been linked with a return to Germany, where he starred for Dortmund, with Bayer Leverkusen reportedly interested. Leverkusen will be flush with cash this summer, with Florian Wirtz in talks to follow Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool, but there is a stumbling block to a move for Sancho.

The German side have appointed Erik ten Hag to replace Xabi Alonso, who joined Real Madrid, and the Dutchman does not have a good relationship with Sancho from their time together at United. It was a falling out with Ten Hag that prompted a loan spell to Dortmund in January 2024.

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It appears as though Amorim has taken a similar approach to Sancho, having bluntly dismissed him when asked earlier in the season. “I’m just focused on my players and my problems,” he said. “Sancho is not my problem.”

The £5m fee owed by Chelsea for backing out of the deal for Sancho will come as a timely boost for United. However, it does mean they now need to find a new buyer for the unwanted winger, who has just 12 goals and six assists in 83 games for the club over four years – a stark contrast to the 40 goals and 47 assists in 118 appearances for Dortmund.