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Borussia Dortmund are bracing themselves for negotiations to resume regarding Jadon Sancho, who almost joined Manchester United last summer.
The 20-year-old forward was open to an Old Trafford switch, but the deal never went through due to the Red Devils’ unwillingness to pay the German club’s £108million asking price.
Sancho made a sluggish start to the season shortly after the move collapsed but has got his mojo back recently, scoring two goals and providing two assists in his last three appearances for the club.
Numerous reports have suggested that the Premier League leaders will have another go at signing Sancho and Dortmund appear to be lining up Netherlands international Donyell Malen as his replacement.
And although it’s not impossible for a deal to be done in January, German football expert Raphael Honigstein believes a summer transfer is far more likely.
Honigstein also said it’s expected Man United and other interested parties will start to lay the groundwork in the spring time to sign the highly sought-after Sancho.
“He’s beginning to click again,” said Honigstein on Sky Sports’ Transfer Talk podcast. “He looks really sharp, he looks up for it.
“But everybody in Dortmund knows nothing will happen in January, the player is not agitating for a move, there’s a very clear agreement that transfers of that magnitude at Dortmund will only happen in the summer.
“There was a big transfer announced in January 2019. That was Christian Pulisic [to Chelsea]. But remember, even his deal was the deal for the summer.
“So no one’s stopping United, if they went out, and felt really confident, to say, ‘let’s do this deal now, let’s make sure we get in now’. And maybe then announce it at the end of January. That’s inherently possible.
“We just haven’t seen or heard anything to suggest that they are indeed ready and willing to come back to that negotiation at the moment. I think everyone at Dortmund is under no illusions that the player wants to leave.
“But they think that the offers and the real negotiations will start closer to towards spring when clubs are perhaps in a better position to understand how much money they’ll have available for their transfer window in the summer.”
Sancho’s asking price could even be reduced from last summer, Honigstein added, but Dortmund still hold all the aces when deciding what fee their player, who’s contract expires in June 2023, should go for.
“United are saying ‘you’re quoting us prices that are pre-corona prices, but come on, that’s not realistic’,” Honigstein added.
“And I think there will come a point where the player will also feel that his value needs to be realistic in order for him to be able to move.
“So Dortmund cannot now come back and say, ‘you know what, actually, he’s had another great season, he’s one year older, let’s make it €160m’.
“That’s not going to happen. But they want to wait, they want to see how much money will Barcelona have this year? How much money will Real Madrid spend, a club that haven’t spent any money in the last two years? Are they keeping their powder dry, for a big move?
“If it’s not Kylian Mbappe, maybe they’re going to go after Jadon Sancho.
“So all these things make Dortmund fairly confident they can still achieve a higher valuation. But of course, it’s also mixed up with him performing really well. So I don’t think it’s inconceivable that the price might go down a little bit, but not that much.”
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