Old foe to give Jadon Sancho transfer lifeline as Chelsea prepare to pay £5m penalty

Manchester United misfit Jadon Sancho has struggled to impress at Chelsea and they’re ready to pay £5million NOT to sign him in a £25m deal – but a move to Germany could be on the cards for the ex-Borussia Dortmund winger

Manchester United misfit Jadon Sancho is set to be offered a lifeline by Bayer Leverkusen with Chelsea ready to pay a £5million penalty for pulling out of a £25million obligation to buy the winger at the end of the season.

United are ready to cut their losses on the £73million former England international after discovering that the London club are now unlikely to take up the option of signing Sancho permanently following his season-long loan at Stamford Bridge. That has alerted Bundesliga pair Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund.

Both would want Sancho to take a cut on his current £250,000-a-week salary – but United are hoping that their willingness to accept less than £20million for the 25-year-old will make the numbers work. And Leverkusen are now looking to add some creativity to their squad as they prepare for life without coach Xabi Alonso and playmaker Florian Wirtz.

Alonso is set to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, while Wirtz is the £100million-plus talent wanted by both Manchester City and Bayern Munich.

Leverkusen could use some of that cash to beat Dortmund to Sancho – and will also be able to offer him Champions League football while their rivals are struggling to finish in the top four.

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Sancho enjoyed the best spell of his career at Dortmund before moving to Old Trafford four years ago and returned for a loan spell when things went sour at United.

United boss Ruben Amorim has made it clear there is no way back for Sancho, Marcus Rashford or Antony – and the Reds are trying to find solutions to raise money for a squad rebuild.

Sancho will have just one year left on his contract in the summer and his valuation will continue to tumble once Chelsea confirm their intention to trigger a clause which will enable them to drop any obligation to buy by paying United £5million in compensation.

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