Borussia Dortmund are weighing up a third move for Jadon Sancho as his time at Manchester United draws to an end.
United, who signed Sancho from Dortmund for £73m in 2021, have an option to extend the 26-year-old’s contract until 2027 but have not triggered the extra season and he is expected to leave as a free agent.
The winger has cost more than £6m per goal in what has been one of the club’s biggest transfer mistakes.
Currently on loan at Aston Villa, Sancho was previously loaned back to Dortmund in the 2023-24 season when he reached the Champions League final with the German club.
They are looking at a deal for him to join for a third time, nine years after they signed him from Manchester City’s academy and made him the forerunner of Premier League talent heading to the Bundesliga.
“We are currently looking at a lot of players and analysing them. We check whether they can make us better. We are doing the same with Jadon,” confirmed Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken to Sport Bild.
“Of course, we are looking for an offensive player who brings quality, can help us immediately, and doesn’t require an unrealistic transfer fee. In defence, Niklas Süle is leaving us, and Emre Can will be out for a while. So we are thinking about that area as well.”
United pursued the forward for more than a year before landing him. He had been a long-term target and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, manager at the time, finally landed him after a protracted battle.
But the move turned sour and Sancho has scored just 12 goals for United. As well as a loan move to Dortmund, he also spent time at Chelsea. They paid a £5m penalty fee in June last year to return him to Old Trafford rather than sign him permanently.
Sancho also attracted criticism from fans when he posted “freedom” under Marcus Rashford’s Instagram picture when Rashford made his debut for Villa in February last year.
This season Sancho could reach the Europa League final with Villa and help them qualify for the Champions League. He last played competitively for United in August 2023 and by the time he leaves it will be 41 Premier League starts in five years.
