Borussia Dortmund are reportedly eager to resign Jadon Sancho on loan but are unlikely to be able to secure a permanent deal for the Manchester United winger.
Sancho impressed after joining Dortmund on loan in January and featured in the defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
The 24-year-old’s future at United is uncertain given that he was frozen out under Erik ten Hag, who remains in charge at Old Trafford amid an end-of-season review being carrying out by United’s new partial owners INEOS.
Sancho has a strong connection with Dortmund having initially joined the club in 2017 before leaving for United in 2021.
During his loan spell he produced some encouraging displays and started to play with greater confidence.
Borussia Dortmund are eager to sign Jadon Sancho on loan from Manchester United again
The player returned to his former club for the latter half of the 2023-24 campaign from United
However, it’s unlikely Edin Terzic’s side will be able to pursue a permanent move for Sancho
According to BILD, Dortmund would ‘love to keep’ Sancho but the German club only have a budget of £65million this summer, which could rule out a permanent deal.
In addition, Dortmund are prioritising strengthening two other positions – a new striker and a defender to replace veteran Mats Hummels, who is expected to depart.
Sancho had fallen out of favour at United after Ten Hag left him out of the matchday squad for the game away to Arsenal last September.
It later emerged that Sancho had been omitted due to his performances in training, with the player claiming that he had been made a scapegoat by his Dutch manager.
Sancho refused to apologise to the United boss, and in an ongoing cold war, made to train and eat alone for the next four months at Carrington.
Man United forward coach Benni McCarthy explained last week how he had tried to mediate between the two parties, but soon realised that Sancho’s background meant he was loath to back down.
‘If you’re from the streets, no one wants to apologise,’ said McCarthy. ‘You admit you are not training well, you are lazy, everything you are accused of. Jadon wasn’t going to have that.
‘The manager has a strong character and just said that all he wants is an apology. Jadon thought that he had done nothing wrong. He didn’t see why he had to apologise. Sometimes you have to apologise, because a player will never win against a manager.’
Sancho’s future at United is uncertain after he was frozen out by manager Erik ten Hag
The Dutch manager was keen to prompt an apology from his player – but nothing took place
Sancho (centre) instead opted to return to Signal Iduna Park were he immediately settled back into the squad
Salvation came during the January window with a temporary move back to his former club, and consistency on the pitch meant that the England international was handed a start at Wembley.
Speaking on the eve of the showpiece clash, Sancho explained how he had been ‘working on himself’ in a bid to become a better player.
‘I don’t think anyone would have expected this,’ Sancho said of his much-improved second-half of the season. ‘Me being in a Champions League Final. I’m so happy. I’m blessed.
‘Game by game I’ve just been working on myself, trying to be a better player. Doing extras behind closed doors. Everything I do is for the team and I’m thankful to them – and the staff – for welcoming me back.’
Sancho doubled down on his gratitude to his loan club in what could well be his farewell message to the Bundesliga side, shared to Instagram in the wake of their defeat to Real Madrid.
‘I want to thank everyone involved at such an amazing club,’ Sancho posted after sharing his congratulations to the team’s opponents. ‘I can’t thank you enough for welcoming me back the way you all have during these last 6 months.
Despite missing out on the Champions League trophy, Sancho was full of gratitude after move
The player said that he had been working hard to improve with extra work behind the scenes
But Dortmund could yet move for new players during the summer window – such as his former team-mate Mason Greenwood (left)
‘Thank you to Edin Terzić, Sebastian Kehl and Hans-Joachim Watzke for believing in me and bringing me back. Finally a special thank you to the BVB fans. Your support is amazing and I’m forever thankful for you all!’
Despite reaching the Champions League final, Dortmund didn’t have their best season domestically as they finished in fifth place in the Bundesliga, with boss Edin Terzic eager to strengthen his squad.
One of the players identified is another Man United loanee, Mason Greenwood, who has been featuring for LaLiga side Getafe after mutually agreeing to ‘contine his career away from Old Trafford’ in the wake of an internal investigation into his conduct by his club.
The Carrington academy graduate was arrested on charges of attempted rape and assault in 2022, but saw Crown Prosecution Services drop all charges against him just over a year later following the withdrawal of key witnesses.