Jadon Sancho could sign with another of the Premier League's 'Big Six' in January, while new details on an expected January transfer for the Manchester United winger have come to light.
Sancho, 23, has been frozen out at Old Trafford for the last seven-plus weeks. The winger's exile stemmed from his omission for the Premier League clash with Arsenal on September 3.
Erik ten Hag insisted a lack of application in training was to blame for Sancho being overlooked. The player quickly snapped back on social media, claiming he was being scapegoated and effectively branding his manager a liar.
Sancho has refused to apologise to Ten Hag and the widely held belief is the situation is now irreparable. An exit in January is anticipated.
Now, per a fresh update from the Athletic, new details on the root cause of the problem as well as where Sancho might end up have surfaced.
Firstly, the report claims Ten Hag's initial issue related to Sancho failing to adequately follow his instructions in training.
Ahead of the Arsenal clash, those not in line to start for Man Utd were tasked with mimicking the upcoming opposition in training. Sancho was asked to replicate the Gunners' playstyle and as such, knew he was not primed to start for United.
The report states that in Ten Hag's eyes, Sancho 'failed to commit to the drill as expected'. Ten Hag's particular dissatisfaction with Sancho's pressing was noted in the piece.
A week later and after Sancho's social media post, Ten Hag personally reviewed clips of the training session with Sancho. The player disagreed with his manager's view on his effort levels in the videos and the situation snowballed from there.
Chelsea could sign Sancho? The Athletic then run the rule over where Sancho might end up and it's claimed a surprise move to Stamford Bridge could await.
Chelsea are labelled a 'possible option' and Sancho has roots in London having grown up in the capital.
Juventus are also namechecked and are understood to have contacted Sancho's camp. Sky Germany recently reported a return to Borussia Dortmund is unrealistic and the Athletic echo that claim. The issue with the German giant would be paying Sancho's high salary.
Elsewhere, the Athletic described the 'Saudi route' as the 'most plausible'. Money for the buying club wouldn't be an issue there, though whether Sancho wants to move to the middle east at such an early stage in his career remains to be seen.
In any case, what is clear is the most likely transfer type is a loan and not a permanent sale. According to 90min, an extended loan running for 18 months until the end of the 2024/25 season is also a possibility.
Man Utd have slapped a hefty PS65m price tag on the winger. That is below the PS73m paid to sign Sancho in 2021, though is still a significant sum for a player who has returned just 12 goals and six assists in 82 matches at Old Trafford.
As such, if Sancho does depart United in the winter window, a loan - potentially containing an option to buy - is expected.
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