Chelsea trigger Sancho transfer clause as Manchester United await £5m decision

Chelsea’s obligation to buy Manchester United misfit Jadon Sancho has already been activated by the Blues but the Red Devils might have to wait for the £25m they are owed for the winger

Chelsea could STILL make a U-turn over their deal for Jadon Sancho, despite his permanent move to Stamford Bridge already being sealed. The Blues signed the England winger on a season-long loan from Manchester United last summer.

And within that agreement, there was a £25m obligation to buy the former Borussia Dortmund man permanently - albeit with certain conditions. One of those is that the obligation was only activated once it was mathematically confirmed that Chelsea would finish 15th or above in the Premier League this season.

That is now set to happen after the Londoners’ dramatic win against near-neighbours Fulham at the weekend. The Cottagers had taken the lead at Craven Cottage on Sunday through Alex Iwobi, only for Tyrique George to equalise in the closing moments.

Former Wolves winger Pedro Neto then netted a stoppage time winner to seal the three points for Enzo Maresca's men. The win leaves Chelsea sitting fifth - the final Champions League spot - and assured that they will finish no lower than 13th. And that position automatically saw the obligation clause in Sancho’s deal activated.

However, there are still some decisions to be made before he becomes a permanent Chelsea player.

The Blues can still pay a £5m penalty clause to back out of a deal and there is still some time for Chelsea to come to a decision on that. Speaking last month, boss Maresca said: “I'm completely focused about nine games, two months to go, I'm completely focused about that. Then what happens in summer, we'll see.

"The Jadon situation doesn't change. In terms of numbers, he could do better, no doubt. It is not just about Jadon but we have more players in the same situation."

He then doubled down on that assessment earlier this month. He added: “Yeah, no, he’s doing well. Today we decided to start with Pedro and Noni. Noni is back from injury, scored twice the other day. Pedro is doing well. And Jadon is playing almost every game,” Maresca explained.

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“The idea was just to refresh a little bit with him, knowing that he’s going to give us a good moment, goal assist, and he’ll show himself in the second half. Then for the future, to be honest, now is the moment. With one month to go, it’s just the focus. It’s about how we can finish, and then we have time to decide.”

Sancho has scored three goals and notched ten assists for Chelsea this season. His next chance to impress will likely come this weekend against Everton at Stamford Bridge.