The cash windfall Man United will receive if Chelsea return Jadon Sancho to them
03/23/2025 06:51 PM
Chelsea must pay Manchester United £5million if they don’t sign Jadon Sancho on a permanent deal this summer, talkSPORT understands.
Sancho was offered a career lifeline by the Blues, who signed him on loan last summer, amid his struggles at Old Trafford.
But the 23-cap England international’s misery is continuing despite the change of scenery as he struggles to make an impact at Stamford Bridge.
The 24-year-old forward has scored just two goals in 29 appearances in all competitions and he hasn’t scored in his last 18.
It means the possibility of Sancho returning to Old Trafford is increasing even though the the loan move to Chelsea included an obligation to buy.
However, Chelsea did have the ability to opt out of completing a full transfer by giving Man United a set fee.
Although Sancho has had a tough time of it at Chelsea, it’s said relations between him and the club are strong and the club's intention to sign a new winger in the summer relates more to uncertainty over Mykhailo Mudryk's availability.
Blues boss Enzo Maresca, who worked with the player at Manchester City, praised Sancho’s form in January.
“I am quite surprised with Jadon, because I knew Jadon already (from seeing him at his previous clubs) and I know what I expected from him, but in terms of being consistent, he's doing very well,” Maresca said.
"Apart from a short part of the season (early November) when he had some problems. When he was out ill but for the rest he has been very good.
"I expected him to do well, but for all the players doing well for a long period is not easy, and he has been doing well for a long period already. He's doing well, now he just needs to continue going in that way."
However, Man United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe doesn’t appear to rate Sancho quite so highly.
Ratcliffe pointed out such were high fees for five players signed before he took control of the club that United will only fully pay off their transfers this summer.
The INEOS chief name-dropped Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana, Casemiro, Sancho and Antony as ‘players we are buying this summer, that we didn’t buy’.
“These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we’ve inherited those things and have to sort that out,” Ratcliffe said.
“For Sancho, who now plays for Chelsea and we pay half his wages, we’re paying £17million to buy him in the summer.”
When pressed whether he had suggested the five players named weren’t good enough for United, Ratcliffe replied: “Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid, but for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time.
“We’ve got this period of transformation where we move from the past to the future.
“There are some great players in the squad as we know, the captain is a fabulous footballer.
“We definitely need Bruno (Fernandes), he’s a fantastic footballer.”
Sancho made a positive start to life at Chelsea having assisted in his first three Premier League games with them.
It comes after a torrid spell at Old Trafford which saw him score just 12 goals in 83 appearances for the club.
There were high hopes for him to thrive at Man United with the Red Devils paying Borussia Dortmund £73million for his services.
The German club was where Sancho made his name as he took the plunge of leaving Manchester City to join Dortmund as a 17-year-old in 2017.
