Jadon Sancho's long-mooted transfer to Manchester United could be completed as early as next week, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side give free rein to chase the Borussia Dortmund winger.
In this morning's papers, both The Times and the Mail report that a deal worth up to £108m is close to completion – though United apparently don't believe a fee has been agreed yet.
The deal suggested is €70m paid upfront by the Red Devils, with further instalments of €30m and €20m.
With coronavirus hitting football's finances across Europe, United have few rivals who are willing to cough up such a big fee, despite the 20-year-old England international being one of the hottest talents on the continent. Barcelona had previously been interested, but they appear to be preparing for a more frugal summer.
Dortmund are off on a pre-season tour on Monday, and the papers suggest they would like the deal done before then to stop it becoming a saga that dominates their summer.
The deal would make Sancho the most expensive British player ever, trumping Gareth Bale's £85m move from Tottenham to Real Madrid in 2013; would be the biggest fee paid by a British club, beating United's own £89m move for Paul Pogba in 2016; and would be the fifth-biggest transfer fee ever paid, behind only PSG's moves for Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, Atletico's Madrid's signing of Joao Felix, and Barcelona's move for Philippe Coutinho.
It would be a big moment for Solskjaer, and the project he is building at Old Trafford. Securing Champions League football on the last day of the season has been a big boost in convincing Sancho to come, and the fact he played for Manchester City until 2017 will make the deal all the sweeter.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOURFOURTWO Get all the biggest interviews on your doorstep – get the first five issues for £5
Back in 2019, FFT sat down for a cover interview with Sancho, where he explained that he decided to leave City for Dortmund because he believed he would get more time on the pitch in Germany. With 44 games for Dortmund in 2019/20 and a move back to the Premier League imminent, it is clearly a decision that paid off.
Should the signing go through, United would likely play Sancho on the right of a front three, alongside Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. Youngster Mason Greenwood has played impressed in that position towards the end of this season, but at 18 is still developing, while last summer's £15m signing Daniel James saw a dip in form after an impressive start.
However, Sancho would not be able to play for United in the coming Europa League fixtures, which start again on Wednesday with their round-of-16 second-leg match against LASK. The Red Devils won the first leg away from home 5-0, and so are almost certain to proceed to the next round, but the registration process for eligible players has already been completed.
While you’re here, why not subscribe to the mag - get your first five issues for just £5, almost £25 cheaper than buying it in the shops!
ALSO READ...
LATEST New Premier League ball for 2020/21 season released: "Game-changing" Nike Flight now on sale
FIFA 21 NEWS Everything we know so far
DENNIS BERGKAMP EXCLUSIVE “I understand why people say I didn’t really mean that Newcastle goal – but I did...”
