How much for Jadon Sancho?

It seems pretty clear that both Jadon Sancho and Manchester United would like to move on from each other, though they’re finding that process a bit tricky. All of PSG, Juventus and Dortmund have enquired, but there’s a bit of a problem: The fee that United paid 3 years ago.

Everyone can agree that Sancho is not currently a £73m player. Two seasons ago, he had a fairly promising, but still disappointing campaign for United. After falling out with Erik ten Hag last year, he went on loan to Dortmund. Again, he showed some promise with his dribbling and playmaking, but was not a star all-around winger, providing almost no shooting threat.

There’s enough in those last two campaigns that teams feel like they can fix him, they have the technology, but probably not so much that they’re willing to pay a big fee. Something called Sports Zone reports that Man United will want £50m to part ways with Sancho, though we have no evidence they didn’t simply pull that figure out of their behinds. They also claim PSG have agreed personal terms with Sancho; the more credible but still rumour-slinging L’Equipe disagrees.

Unfortunately for United, they have minimal leverage and everyone knows it. This is a player who has previously been yeeted to the reserves after a fight with the manager, who has consistently underperformed since arriving, and who has a big salary that the Red Devils want off their books. So what will they settle for?

My guess is £30m. And while I have pulled a number out of my behind just like Sports Zone did, it’s one that has some reasoning behind it. That’s the amount United needs to pull in to avoid showing a loss on their books for PSR purposes. Sancho’s initial transfer fee is amortized at about £15m per year over the life of his contract, and he’s got 2 years remaining.

That number should also be palatable to Dortmund, if they sell Karim Adeyemi, and Juventus, if they sell Federico Chiesa, since it’s about the same fee as they’re expecting to collect for those players. It’ll be palatable to PSG no matter what, if they want Sancho, because PSG is not a real business.

I do think that United is going to sell Sancho this window for a fee that will end up neutral for accounting purposes. It just might take a while.

—KM

News and rumours

• Another sale United would like to make is that of Hannibal Mejbri, who struggled on loan at Sevilla last year. Rangers want him, but not for the £7m they’ve been quoted. His attacking and passing numbers from his Birmingham City loan also look bad, but so do everyone’s from that team. Anyone who signs Hannibal is putting a lot of trust in their scouts.

• Man United are also “leading the race” for Adrien Rabiot, according to a Caught Offside EXCLUSIVE. I think he’s a player who can help a lot of Premier League teams, including United, but it’s a curious one due to Kobbie Mainoo’s presence. He seems more like someone who will block Mainoo or get pissed he’s being benched for Mainoo than a good partner for the young England star. A Rabiot-Mainoo partnership would likely be really soft defensively.

• Southampton signing Ben Brereton Diaz for £7m seems like a nice value pickup. He had a bad time in Villarreal, but on his loan spell, he had 5 non-penalty goals from 4.19 xG in 14 games for a relegation-battling Sheffield United team. He’s also a really effective dribbler, and probably equally effective on the left wing or at striker.

• Everton is rumoured to be swapping one injury-prone striker for another. Newcastle would like to resume talks for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, so the Toffees are testing Roma’s appetite for a Tammy Abraham sale. I love Tammy and hope he starts firing again, but Everton should probably take this opportunity to sign someone without a bad injury history.

• Eddie Nketiah to Marseille is starting to look more likely, with the latest bid coming in at £17m. Arsenal are building a nice little war chest to go after a Gyökeres-like substance.

• “Several clubs from the Premier League and abroad are keen to sign Tahith Chong this transfer window,” says Florian Plettenberg. Translation: Chong’s agent is desperate to drum up interest. He’s not a bad player, but nothing about his recent performances suggests he should be a top priority for anyone.

• Fab says Juventus have bid €45m for Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners, who I think is a really sick all-around midfielder. His ability to play in several different midfield roles makes him really valuable, and he’s an elite passer. Goes well with Juve’s current group of athletic and combative, but meh at playmaking midfielders.

• Nottingham Forest are close to signing Jota Silva from Vitoria in Portugal for €7m + €6m in incentives, and he’s an interesting looking player. He’s a right footer who mostly played right wing, but he’s tall for a winger and much more of a goal-scorer than dribbler or crosser. It’ll be interesting to see what Forest wants to do with him.

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