Jadon Sancho will return to Man Utd this summer after Chelsea paid the £5m penalty to cancel their obligation to buy the winger, according to reports.
The Blues chose to loan Sancho from Man Utd last summer after it was clear that the England international could not repair his relationship with Erik ten Hag.
Chelsea agreed an obligation to buy the former Borussia Dortmund winger for £25m with a clause to break the agreement for a fee of £5m if they want to.
Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has been pleased with Sancho’s contribution at Stamford Bridge this term and insisted that he’d done enough to earn a permanent deal.
When asked about Sancho’s future after the Europa Conference League final, Cole said: “I think Jadon is a really great player and I think he’s done well.
“He’s been rotated in and out a bit but I want to see Jadon playing. You want a player like that in your squad. It will come down to a financial decision I imagine but I really like him.”
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But now The Athletic‘s David Ornstein has revealed that Sancho ‘is leaving Chelsea when his contract ends on June 30 after an agreement could not be reached over personal terms’.
That means that his loan move will not turn into a permanent transfer from Man Utd, despite the £25m obligation, as it still required an agreement over salary and terms between the player and Chelsea.
The £5m ‘payment will now be incurred’ and on Sancho’s future, Ornstein added that Sancho ‘has options in England and elsewhere around Europe, which he is expected to explore before making a decision as to his next step’.
Fellow transfer expert Fabrizio Romano insists that Sancho is ‘not expected to stay’ at Man Utd this summer and the Red Devils will still attempt to move him on.
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Romano wrote on X: ‘Jadon Sancho, not expected to stay at Manchester United this summer. He’s included in list of players available for sale to generate funds and reinvest on different signings. Sancho’s camp will assess options in the upcoming days/weeks.’
When asked about Sancho’s future after the Europa Conference League final, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said: “I said yesterday in the press conference. From now on we are going to sit with the club and decide what happens for next year.
“If we finish fourth, it is also because of Jadon, if we win tonight it is also because of Jadon. It is normal in a season to go a little bit up and down, it is part of the game.”
