Jadon Sancho confirms Chelsea exit with farewell message before Manchester United return | OneFootball

Blues to pay £5m penalty as former England winger heads back to Old Trafford despite obligation to buy in his loan deal

Jadon Sancho has confirmed his summer exit from Chelsea.

The Blues ended up finishing fourth in Enzo Maresca’s first term in charge to seal a return to the Champions League after a crucial final-day win over European qualification rivals Nottingham Forest, meaning they would have to pay a £5m penalty fee in the event that they opted not to sign the former Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City attacker on a full-time basis.

Speculation over the outcome of Chelsea’s decision on Sancho has continued for weeks now, only for reports to finally emerge on Tuesday that they had been unable to agree a deal with the player that fit within their incentive-driven wage structure, having been unwilling to match his terms at United.

The 25-year-old will return to Manchester as a result, with Chelsea - who did not pay a loan fee up front to sign Sancho last August - incurring that £5m penalty price.

He wrote on social media on Tuesday evening alongside a video compilation of his best highlights in blue: “Grateful for the experience. Big love to everyone at Chelsea who made me feel at home — teammates, staff and the fans.

“Wishing the club all the best moving forward. Truly grateful, Thank you Blues.”

It remains to be seen if Sancho will get a chance to prove himself at United in the months ahead under current boss Ruben Amorim, having fallen out with his predecessor Erik ten Hag and been exiled, spending time back on loan at Dortmund before joining Chelsea last summer.

Sancho - who earned the last of his 23 senior England caps back in 2021 - is under contract at Old Trafford until 2026.

Sancho could be replaced at Chelsea by England Under-21 winger Jamie Gittens, with the Blues in talks with Borussia Dortmund over a deal for a player who was previously on their books as a youngster that would cost in the region of £50m.

The Blues are also set to announce the £30m arrival of Gittens’ England U21 team-mate Liam Delap from Ipswich and are said to have approached AC Milan over France goalkeeper Mike Maignan amid fresh links to Eintracht Frankfurt frontman Hugo Ekitike.

They are also interested in Sancho’s Manchester United team-mate Alejandro Garnacho and Athletic Club’s star Spain forward Nico Williams, having also been linked with defenders such as Marc Guehi, Jarrad Branthwaite and Jorrel Hato.