MICHAEL ZORC is many things but he’s certainly not naive. As early as January, Borussia Dortmund’s sporting director was telling reporters that Jadon Sancho would “definitely” play at Signal Iduna Park in the 2019/20 season, implying that the Englishman’s stay beyond that year was rather less definite. “He won’t retire at Dortmund,” Zorc re-iterated this week in the face of speculation about the 19-year-old’s move back to England. In other words: Dortmund will listen to offers come next summer. Buying low and selling high is an integral part of the Westphalians’ business plan. By 2020, they would have had him for three years and seen him maximise his value in the process. Dortmund believe they will be able to sell him for significantly more than £100m in 15 months time. He might be a Euro 2020 winner by then.
The question that Manchester United and others are asking is whether the Black and Yellows could be persuaded to bring this inevitable move forward by a year. The answer will come down to two things: the size of the bid and the player’s willingness to force a move.
Dortmund might have vowed to never let a player hold them to ransom again after the rather ugly saga of Ousmane Dembele’s move to Barcelona for (the eventual sum of) €145m in 2017. But freezing out a major asset is ultimately a futile exercise, as the choice comes down to money or an unhappy, unwilling player. The money always wins. It has to, especially for publicly-listed clubs.
But even then, both the potential buyers and the player would have to push very hard. As much as United need strengthening, splashing out a three-figure sum for a teenage wide forward might not be the best way to invest this summer in light of the strengths and weakness of their current squad. Other positions would seem much more pressing at this point.
In addition, Sancho doesn’t look like the type who would blackmail the club into letting him go. On the contrary, his decision to go to Dortmund rather than to accept a lucrative offer to extend his contract at Man City showed that he has his priorities in order. If he had been hell-bent on going back to England, he could have easily turned down Dortmund’s offer to extend his contract until 2020 back in October. BVB no longer include release clauses in their contracts but it’s very likely that there would have been at least a tacit understanding of the acceptable terms and time-frame for his premature departure. Zorc’s confidence that Sancho will still be around next summer shouldn’t be confused with posturing or as a negotiation ploy: it’s almost certainly based on Sancho providing assurances to the club, similar to those that Christian Pulisic had given. The US attacking midfielder could have run down his contract in 2020 after refusing to sign a new deal but him and BVB cordially agreed that he would leave next summer to Chelsea, for an adequate fee. The Blues tried to make it happen last summer but came back to get it done in time for next season.
This could well provide a blueprint of sorts to United. Assuming that Sancho will be sold next summer, they could pre-empt an auction by laying the groundwork with the player now. By January of next year, Dortmund might be willing to formalise the deal, while keeping the player until the end of the season. United would have to pay a premium on an already sizeable fee to knock out the competition but it would save them spending even more money if Sancho continues to improve at this rapid pace. Either way, Sancho coming back to the Premier League is really only a matter of when, not if, and of: how much.
A £10 bet on Sancho to sign for Manchester United this summer returns £60
