Chelsea ‘Reach Jadon Sancho Verdict’, Man Utd Future Revealed | OneFootball

Chelsea and Jadon Sancho have reportedly failed to strike an agreement over a contract, ensuring that the England international will be heading back to Manchester United.

Sancho signed on loan for Chelsea last summer, penning a deal which included an obligation-to-buy clause valued at roughly £25 million ($33.8 million). However, the Blues had the power to avoid that lump sum by paying a £5 million ($6.8 million) penalty clause to send the mercurial winger back to United.

Since Chelsea’s campaign concluded with Conference League glory—which included a goal from Sancho in the final—the player and club have been locked in negotiations over personal terms. The Athletic now claim that no resolution could be found and Chelsea will swallow the £5 million penalty.

The report claims that Sancho “has options in England and elsewhere around Europe”. The 25-year-old still has a contract at Manchester United which doesn’t expire until June 2026, although it appears unlikely that he will don the famous red shirt any time soon.

Sancho never lived up to the £73 million ($98.7 million) transfer which took him to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund in 2021. After a couple of middling campaigns, the former Manchester City academy graduate had a very public fallout with then-United manager Erik ten Hag.

After being exiled to the youth team, where he had to change on his own for safeguarding reasons, Sancho managed to secure a loan back to Dortmund for the second half of the 2023–24 campaign. Back in an environment where he “was happy again”, the right-footed winger helped the Bundesliga side reach the Champions League final.

It remains to be seen whether Sancho will join Dortmund for a third time. The club’s late-season surge to secure Champions League qualification affords Dortmund more financial wiggle-room, although Niko Kovac has recently settled on a back-three formation which doesn’t have a natural role for a winger of Sancho’s profile. Ironically, this system shift has reportedly disillusioned Jamie Gittens, who is a leading target for Chelsea.