INEOS will be thrilled by the reports emerging from Villa Park: Aston Villa are said to be absolutely delighted with the signing of Jadon Sancho and are already considering taking him off United’s books permanently.
It is precisely the kind of news Manchester United chiefs would welcome, especially after a tricky summer spent trying to offload the Englishman.
Chelsea, where Sancho spent last season on loan, had hoped to make the move permanent.
However, failure to agree on personal terms resulted in the Blues paying a £5 million penalty to opt out of the obligation-to-buy clause that had been triggered in the winger’s deal at Stamford Bridge.
Sancho returned to Old Trafford, where United, still keen to move him on, were open to offers.
While plenty of interest was registered, two major obstacles emerged: Sancho’s wage demands and his “being picky” over his next stop.
Summer transfer saga
Of course, top European clubs wanted a piece of Sancho, but his demands made negotiations tricky.
In the end, only AS Roma were bold enough to pursue him. The Italian giants pushed hard to land the winger, tabling a £20 million offer to take him off United’s books.
However, despite the 20-time English champion’s willingness to accept Roma’s proposal and ship the winger to the Stadio Olimpico, the 25-year-old repeatedly rejected pleas to make the move.
Roma eventually gave up, and it looked as though United would be stuck with Sancho once again.
However, on deadline day, Villa made a bold move, asking for Sancho, while they and INEOS held talks over a potential Emiliano Martinez transfer to Old Trafford.
Deadline day Villa switch
Initially, a swap deal involving Sancho and Martinez was discussed, but the United star was not keen on such an arrangement.
That partly led to the collapse of the Martinez-to-United deal. United then pulled the plug on the move for the Argentine altogether after striking an agreement with Royal Antwerp to sign goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Sancho could have been left in limbo again, but Villa stepped in and opted to take him on loan.
Unai Emery, short on attacking options after losing Jhon Duran (in winter), Leon Bailey (this summer), and with Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio not returning after loan spells, needed the deal to go through.
Villa delighted to sign Sancho
Fortunately, the deal went through, and according to TBR’s Graeme Bailey, Villa are thrilled it did.
Bailey says:
“Villa are said to be very happy they signed the winger, and it will be interesting to see how things play out with his parent club.
“They still have an option to buy, and if Sancho ends up being the best winger in the Premier League come January, there’s a fair chance they will take that.”
Sancho’s revival and United’s hopes
On his day, Sancho is a baller. That was evident at Stamford Bridge, where he showed flashes of brilliance.
INEOS will hope he settles in, impresses, and, if he passes his audition, Villa are bold enough to make the move permanent.
Sancho’s United deal extension hints
While many believed Sancho would leave United as a free agent next summer, Bailey’s comments confirm rumours that the club have activated the option to extend his deal by 12 months, reports recently relayed by The Peoples Person.
If that is the case, Villa exercising their option to make the loan permanent would make perfect sense. At least United would not lose one of their most expensive buys for nothing.
Feature image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
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Daniel Onguko
Since Dan was introduced to Manchester United in 2008, he has lived and breathed the club. What started as being a fan evolved into writing about United, allowing him to feel part of their journey. Hopefully, his work might even help rekindle your love for the kings of Manchester.
