Chelsea has opted to secure Jadon Sancho on a permanent transfer despite the discovery of a potential escape clause in his loan deal with Manchester United.
Sancho departed from Old Trafford last summer after a challenging period and joined Premier League rivals Chelsea on a season-long loan.
The agreement included a commitment for Chelsea to sign him permanently at the end of the season for a fee ranging between £20-25 million.
Initially, this seemed to signal the conclusion of Sancho’s Manchester United career, but recent revelations confirmed that Chelsea could choose to terminate the arrangement and return the winger to his parent club.
To do so, Chelsea would need to pay United £5 million, which several pundits believe might be a sensible move given Sancho’s struggles in London.
The winger has managed just two goals this season and has often been left out of the starting lineup as Enzo Maresca navigates Chelsea’s wealth of attacking options.
Additionally, Chelsea’s interest in signing more wide attackers has fueled speculation about Sancho’s uncertain future. Nevertheless, Sky Sports reports that the Blues remain intent on making the loan deal permanent.
Sancho is eager to stay at Stamford Bridge, having grown up as a Chelsea fan. His stint at Manchester United, however, proved to be disappointing.
After signing for over £70 million in 2021, he endured three lackluster seasons before agreeing to leave.
The former Borussia Dortmund star and Manchester City academy graduate also had a public fallout with former United manager Erik ten Hag, who criticized his commitment and performance in training.
With their relationship beyond repair, Sancho was loaned back to Dortmund for the latter half of last season, where he played a role in their journey to the Champions League final, ultimately losing to Real Madrid.
Following his move to Chelsea, Sancho expressed his desire to make Stamford Bridge his permanent home once his loan tenure concludes.
‘It’s still a bit weird to me, but it’s always good to be home,’ he told Chelsea’s official website. ‘My family is close, my friends are close.
‘I always supported Chelsea as a kid, because of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. And speaking to Enzo [Maresca] before I came here, he was determined to work with me.
‘He showed me his plans of where he sees me fitting in the team, and telling me how I could help the team moving forward.
‘That brought me here. He made me feel comfortable. I liked his energy on the Facetime call we had.
‘This squad has a lot of great talent. It’s weird being one of the older players! There are a lot of young guys here. I have a lot of experience and I can show and help a couple of the younger ones coming through.
‘And they can help me. We can achieve something big if we all stick together and work hard together.’
A number of pundits have suggested Chelsea should ‘find a way’ not to sign Sancho on a permanent basis.
‘Chelsea must be regretting the fact that they have to buy him,’ former United defender Paul Parker told MyBettingSites. ‘They’ll probably be begging United to find a way out of the deal.
‘Chelsea will be looking to get rid of him as soon as possible. Finding a club willing to take him will be a challenge.’
Former Chelsea defender William Gallas, meanwhile, said Sancho ‘can’t stay’ after a poor showing against Arsenal recently.
‘That player has talent. He’s a talented player, everybody knows this, but we don’t know why he can’t perform and can’t show what he can do,’ Gallas said of Sancho on Stadium Astro.
‘At Dortmund, he was magnificent. At Manchester United it didn’t work well for him. He came to Chelsea and at the beginning we saw that Sancho from Dortmund, but then he disappeared.
‘I don’t know what the problem is, but at the moment he can’t stay at Chelsea because he has to do more.
‘When you play in the Premier League you have to play every game at the highest level. It’s not easy, but you can’t just play well for a few games and then chill out.’
