LONDON – Manchester United are increasingly confident of finally landing England international Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, according to reports.
United have been in hot pursuit of Sancho for quite some time and were close to signing him last summer, only for Dortmund to stand firm by wanting £109 million (about Ugx 542,723,000,000 billion) for their star player.
But according to The Athletic, United have now begun negotiations with Dortmund over Sancho’s services and have been given hope that the German outfit will accept a lower asking price this time round.
There is still plenty to be done on the fee front for United to get their man, but the report claims there is a willingness between both parties to finally come to an agreement.
United are understood to be willing to fork out £80m on the England international – which initially left Dortmund responsive – but the Bundesliga side now want an additional £20m in achievable add-ons.
However, talks so far point to a compromise between the two clubs and United are reportedly positive about their hopes right now.
The Red Devils want to try and seal a deal for the former Manchester City youth product before the Euros kick off in seven days’ time, but they know that will be a difficult task.
The latest reports follow on from Sportsmail revealing that United are preferring to target Sancho this summer over Tottenham talisman Harry Kane.
United then plan to wait 12 months to try and land Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s former player Erling Haaland as their long-term number nine.
The recent extension of Edinson Cavani’s contract means chasing a centre forward is regarded less of an immediate priority than Sancho as a right-sided attacker.
Solskjaer has told his bosses forward options of Sancho, Cavani, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial would make United competitive challenging for major trophies against the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea next season.
After failing to secure a move to Old Trafford last summer, Sancho endured a frustrating start to the 2020-21 campaign for Dortmund.
However, he ended the season in style by helping Dortmund win the German Cup and qualify for the Champions League with 10 goals in his last 15 games.
As well as Sancho, United are also in the hunt for Kieran Trippier, with cash-strapped Atletico Madrid open to offers.
The Red Devils view him as competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
A centre back is also on the agenda for United, and they are working on a deal for Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane.
